The Right of Kings
by dtill359
Summary: Leader Deun I is dead and his sons, Deun II and Desslok, war for his throne. Then a cataclysmic accident changes the course of the planet's future. The solution to this new problem will be universe-changing. With victory, there comes a price to be paid. Is that price too high? AU. "The Sands of Time are Sinking" Book 1
1. Dramatis Persona

**Dramatis Persona**  
-Those we've met thus far – and a couple we haven't-

_Gamilon_

**Desslok III:** Younger son of the former Leader, Deun I; rightful heir to the throne of Gamilon  
Late teens, early twenties | Male

**Deun II: **Elder son of the former Leader, Deun I; disinherited as a result of attempting to  
murder his father; Usurper of his brother's throne; Desslok's twin  
Late teens, early twenties | Male

**Masterson Talan: **Only child of Raymond & Naomi Talan; Desslok's loyal body-guard  
and friend; youngest member of Mossad ever recorded  
Late teens, early twenties | Male

**Yeshin:** Leader of Deun II's military forces; member of the Guardiana cult  
Early-fifties | Male

**Eliora: **Informant and confidant recruited by Desslok & Masterson before their flight from  
the capitol; Old friend of the deceased Queen Talonka  
Late-forties | Female

**Admiral Raymond Talan:** Masterson's father; Secret operative for Masterson within  
the palace  
Late-forties | Male

**Naomi Talan:** Masterson's mother; Also a spy for her son; Less conspicuous than her husband  
Late-forties | Female

**Talonka: **Deun & Desslok's mother; Murdered when her sons were eight; Left her younger  
son a chronicle of her family history which holds the key to many mysteries he has yet to  
uncover  
Deceased | Female

_Iscandari_

**Starsha: **Daughter of King Alexander & Queen Kara of Iscandar; Second of three princesses:  
she, Astra, and Sasha  
Late teens, early twenties | Female

**Astra:** Daughter of King Alexander & Queen Kara of Iscandar; Eldest of the Iscandari  
princesses; Starsha's twin  
Late teens, early twenties | Female


	2. What's Gone on Before

**What's Gone on Before**

Deun II and Desslok III, the twin sons of Leader Deun I and Queen Talonka of Gamilon were given two widely divergent roles in life. Deun was to take his father's place as Leader of Gamilon and joint ruler of the Gamilon-Iscandari Alliance. Desslok was destined to remain in the background, the forgotten son who reminded his father too much of his deceased mother.

Unbeknownst to her husband, Queen Talonka left her younger son an inheritance of his own – a chronicle of the history of her family.

At the appointed time, the existence of the chronicle is revealed to Desslok by his best friend and loyal body-guard, Masterson Talan.

The two young men work their way through the chronicle, discovering that the world around them is not what it seems. This leads to the discovery of a plot by Deun II to overthrow Leader Deun I and secure the dark powers of a cult group known as the Followers of Guardiana – a group that Queen Talonka's mother is the leader of..

Desslok attempts to warn his father of his brother's treachery, but Leader Deun I will not listen.

Finally, the Leader realizes that there is a possibility that his younger son could be right, but it is too late. The Leader leaves the planet, a fatal dose of poison, administered by his own son Deun, racing through his body, but before his departure, he leaves his younger son Desslok a message telling him that _he_ is now the rightful heir to the throne. Because of Deun II's acts, he has been disinherited.

But though Deun knows of his father's decision, he does not accept it. Instead of abdicating his position, he sets out to kill his brother.

Masterson Talan discovers Deun's plan and whisks away the newly-appointed heir-apparent, Desslok.

It is here that our story resumes.


	3. Prologue

**Prologue**

The time has come;

The moment is right.

A king shall rise from the ashes;

The one despised will reign.

His people will encircle him;

His world will expel the usurper.

The choice will be his.

To give life -

Or take it.


	4. Chapter 1: The Huntress

**Book I: He Who Would Valiant Be**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Huntress**

"_I don't care what Jarena thinks!" Prince Zordar growled in his deep bass voice. His Cometine green skin made his silver hair look closer to white than it actually was. "You are the one I've chosen; Jarena will get over her jealousy." The prince took her hand and kissed it, a look of possessive salacity in his eyes._

_The look both terrified and enticed her._

"_What about our daughter?" she asked. "And Jarena will stop at nothing to see me gone; she wants you for herself."_

_Zordar laughed, the sound rumbling through his huge chest. "She never could understand that one woman is never enough for me." he put one arm around his lover's waist and pulled her close to him. "I will never send you away. I promise."_

That had been seven years ago, just before her eighteenth birthday, and Dara was still bitter over what that reptile of a prince had done to her. A few months after that particular conversation with _his highness_, they had discovered that Jarena was pregnant with the prince's daughter. Dara's own daughter, also Zordar's child, Constance, was only four at the time.

Jarena had thrown a tantrum rivaling that of any spoiled three year-old Dara had ever seen. The result? Jarena had gotten her way and Dara had been sent away from _Gatlantis _to fend for herself and care for her daughter entirely on her own. And what had Zordar done to make her life easier? Absolutely nothing.

The only thing that she had heard about Zordar from that day onward that had satisfied her sense of justice was that the prince had had his second mistress done away with for "seditious acts." Dara smirked at the memory.

The daughter Jarena had borne Zordar was a pale-skinned, raven-haired girl who had been named Invidia. The irony of it had struck Dara as supremely funny when she had heard the news. Whoever had named the child had obviously known the circumstances surrounding the girl's conception and birth. Invidia - "jealousy" - the perfect name for Jarena's progeny.

"When are we stopping again?" Constance's voice summoned her mother back from the tarn of memory.

"Soon, little butterfly." Dara turned to give her daughter a hug. "So where have you been this morning?"

"Playing with Mina and Rindi." she answered, her happy eyes twinkling with childish joy. Even though she was already eleven, in some ways Constance still seemed much younger. Her innocence had not yet been shattered – a minor miracle in the universe they lived in these days.

Constance's friend Mina was the daughter of another ship-resident worker trying to make ends meet as well. The girl was quiet, but she seemed to be good for Constance, helping her understand that sometimes thinking was better than talking. Rindi was the son of the ship engineer. The boy was mischievous, as most boys his age were, and he had a curious affinity for fixing things.

"Where are we going now?" Constance asked, rolling up on her toes then back on her heels over and over, rocking forward, then backward again like a confused, energetic pendulum.

"I'm not sure." Dara replied. "The captain changed course a couple of days ago. We're not on our originally plotted route anymore."

"Oh. Okay." Constance said, shrugging, then turning to leave the boring, adult conversation when a typically random question popped out of her child's mouth. "Amah*, why do I have pink skin when yours is blue and aba's* is... light green?"

Dara's face hardened at the mention of Zordar, but it softened again when she saw her daughter's purely curious face.

"Well, dear, it's because, before you were born, your... father... and I planned what you would look like. It's called 'genetic engineering.'"

"Gen-eh-tick enj-in-earring..." Constance tested the words out, then a funny look crossed her face, "Does that mean I'm weird?"

"Oh no, no Constance. Not at all." Dara stepped over to her daughter and knelt on the cold hard deck plates. She gently grasped her daughter's shoulders, looking her directly in the eye. "And don't let anyone ever tell you that you are. You are _mine_, and I love you just the way you are."

Constance gave her mother a hug, then returned to her childish pursuits with her friends.

"If only she would never have to face that label..." Dara sighed to herself. "If only I hadn't given in to him... If only, if only, if only..." life was too full of "if onlys" to look back on them all and contemplate what might have been, but sometimes Dara couldn't help wondering.

"Dara! Get down here, we've got more work for you to do before we reach our destination!" the order came to her through the ship-wide intercom system – ancient, but effective.

"Keep your shirt on, Malach!" Dara yelled back through the channel to the half-deaf cargo chief. She didn't want to take the risk that he had his bad ear closest to the receiver. "I'll be down there in a minute!"

"Girl, you don't have to yell! I'm not deaf, you know!"

Dara rolled her eyes and started down towards the main cargo bay.

* * *

"Alright, what have you got for me this time?" she sighed when she reached the hold.

"Got an escaped hybrid roamin' around the cargo bay right now. Nasty little chafe he is." said the chief.

"What kind of hybrid are we talking about?" Dara asked loudly.

"Oh, nothin' too bad. Some scientist's favorite experiment gone wrong I reckon."

"So what is it?" Dara prodded.

"Oh, just somethin' resemblin' a rat that thought was a snake."

Dara fought keep her eyes from bugging out of her head.

"Like I said, nothin' too bad. He's only a couple meters long – a real tiny fella."

'T-tiny?" Dara stuttered, still fighting to control her reaction to the job her boss had literally hunted up for her to do.

"Oh yeah!" the chief laughed jovially, "That type of snake can get up to about fifteen meters long. You're lucky our scientist friend travels light."

"Yeah... lucky..." she mumbled to herself as the cargo chief left her to her baggage wrangling duties. "Of all the things that had to get loose, it _would_ have to be a snake!" she hissed, "Why do I always have to deal with reptiles?" she continued to talk to herself as she sauntered around the cargo hold, a stun-pistol in each hand, ready to shoot at anything that moved.

After an hour of doing this she decided to adopt a different strategy. Climbing atop one of the carefully secured stacks of crates in the hold, Dara sat on top of the tower, surveying the entire area as best as she could. There was no hint of the crazy animal's hiding place, not even the whisper of its tail swishing over the floor could be heard.

"Why me...?" she mumbled to herself again as she sat, her decorative leather skirt whisking over the pants she wore beneath it. She had modified the garment so that it had several thin panels taken out up to her knee – enough to give her extra movement, but not enough to draw unwanted attention to herself. The black boots she wore were old and worn, though still in serviceable condition. She had tucked the dark grey pants into her footwear, both to keep warmth in and to keep the cold of space out.

"Where are you, you troublesome creature...?" she thought to herself. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move. It was just the barest of disturbances, but her quick eye caught it.

"There you are..." she thought, her eyes narrowing on her quarry. The strange animal's elongated, whiskered snout poked out from behind another wall of crates. It sniffed the air, it's forked tongue flicking in and out of its scaled mouth.

"Just a little more," Dara thought, slowly raising one of the pistols so that it was pointed at the snake-rat thing.

The animal half walked, half slithered further out of hiding. Dara moved as slowly as she could, silently setting herself up to take down the beast with a single shot.

The beast was elegant in a strange way, lacking the awkwardness of other legged reptiles. Whoever had designed it had thought through his work before putting it together. She would like to meet this man before he left the ship.

The creature tucked its clawed feet up against its sides, dropping to the floor, starting to slither instead of walk.

Dara was mesmerized by it for a second as the creature looked right at her, flicking its tongue to catch her scent.

The utter silence between the huntress and the hunted filled the gigantic space to the brim. Only the sounds of the ship around them hummed and clicked in the background.

The beast jerked around with lightning speed as the door to the cargo bay opened.

"I've been in here a buncha times before," Rindi's voice spilled through the silence.

Dara held her breath, hoping the boy would go away – shut the door and pick some other place to go. "Get out of here." her mind willing the child to leave.

"Come on." came the voice again.

"You sure about this?" the voice of Mina trilled in sharp contrast to Rindi's. "There's supposed to be some dangerous things in here."

"Can't we go to the other cargo hold?"

This third voice made Dara freeze. She tried to pull the trigger on the pistol she was aiming, but her finger remained stubbornly hovering.

The reptile, out of sight of the children, flicked its tongue in the direction of the noise. It's scaled ears pointed towards the young voices.

"Get away!" Dara's mind was screaming, but her mouth wouldn't open. Why couldn't she move? Was she so weak-willed that mere fear could overcome her this way?

While the paralysis of terror was upon her, the snake again disappeared behind another fortress of crates.

The immediate danger passed, Dara's body unfroze and she quietly climbed down the tower she was still perched on top of. Weaving through the crates, cages, and other containers, the young woman found her way back to the still-open door and the three children who weren't supposed to be anywhere near here.

"Constance." Dara said, startling her daughter and her two friends.

"Amah?!" the girl jerked around in reaction to the familiar voice.

"What are you three doing here?" she asked in a loud whisper.

"We needed someplace to get away from all the adults." Mina replied. "They're 'discussing' something again." the little girl rolled her eyes.

"Go to the other hold. Quickly!" the insistence in her mother's voice made Constance's eyes grow frightened. "It's alright." she assured her daughter. "But you have to leave now – right now." she motioned for the children to leave.

"But why?" the boy in the group protested.

"I can't explain, Rindi. Just go!"

"But –"

"Amah!" Constance's shriek pierced the air and Mina screamed.

The eyes of her daughter and the other two children were locked on something behind her. Faster than any of the three children had ever seen anyone move before, Dara spun around, one of her weapons instantly in her hand.

The creature she was after was in mid-jump, headed straight towards them, it's eyes fixed on the open door as it leapt. But as the children's screeching met its sensitive ears, it whipped its long body around in the air, bearing its snake's fangs at them, hissing in pain and displeasure.

A loud roar escaped the beast's throat.

Dara squeezed the trigger too late and the stun bolt flew past the twisting mass of flesh exploding into a crate.

The creature fell towards them. Rindi ran, Mina fell to the floor screaming in fear, but it was Constance who bore the brunt of the creature's wrath.

"No!" Dara's shrill yell hit the beast's tender ears, but not before it sank its fangs deeply into her daughter's leg. "Get away from her!" she yelled again, her eyes filling with tears.

The creature let go of the child it had had in its jaws and turned to roar at Dara. The horrible sound clicked her brain into gear again and she finally pulled the trigger, splattering the beast's face with electricity.

The creature looked at her, a confused expression crossing its face the instant before it slumped to the ground beside an unconscious Constance.

"Kapara sheli*!" Dara fell to her knees next to her little girl. "Talk to me, Connie!" she grasped her daughter by the shoulders and pulled her up into a sitting position.

The girl didn't respond.

Fighting off panic, Dara quickly unbuckled the belt she wore and tied it around Constance's bleeding leg, using her foot to push away the head of the unconscious beast that had bitten her.

She scooped up her child and ran out of the cargo hold, shutting the door and locking it after her and the other two children as an afterthought, not caring that she would likely have to round up the reptile again later. Right now her daughter was the only thing she cared about.

"I need a doctor!" she shouted down every hall she passed, hoping against hope that someone would help her.

Her pleas went unheeded until she reached a portion of the ship that she usually didn't frequent – first-class.

"Is there a doctor here?!" she was desperate now, knocking on door after door and being turned away by disgusted passengers who promised never to travel aboard the ship again.

Somehow Rindi and Mina were still on her heels, looking utterly terrified, but very aware of the danger their friend was in.

Finally, Dara reached the last door on the hall of the passenger quarters – the best room on the ship, even surpassing the captain's.

She reached out to knock on the door, her rapid breaths catching in her throat, tears streaming down her face as she held her bleeding daughter – the picture of helplessness.

Almost as soon as she knocked, the door opened to her and the face Dara saw made her mouth drop open. The man who opened the door was likewise stunned, but he was thrown out of his surprise quickly when he noticed the girl the young woman standing at his door was holding and the two other young children staring in horror at the child.

"Come in!" the man threw open the door to them all and motioned for them to enter quickly. "Put her down here." he pointed to a long couch.

Dara laid her daughter down. "Help her, please." she pleaded with the stranger.

"Bring me some disinfectant." he pointed across to the room to a bottle nestled among many others atop a table.

Dara scurried over to it, picked it up and flew back to the stranger.

"What bit her?" he asked as he examined the wound, the tourniquet still on Constance's leg.

For a split second Dara looked at the man blankly, then she realized she was being asked a question. "It – it was a snake – or a rat – a hybrid. I don't really know exactly what it was."

The man's jaw clenched and a pained expression crossed his face. "We need to stop the bleeding first."

"But what about the snake's venom?" Dara protested.

"It isn't poisonous." the stranger said, applying pressure to the child's leg. "She is lucky. No arteries or veins were hit."

"How do you know it wasn't poisonous?! You weren't even there to see what happened."

"I didn't have to be." he said, then looked down at the floor, "I made the creature."

A loud slap echoed through the room followed by the sound of the stranger's monocle clinking to the floor. "I don't know who you are, but if you're the creator of that animal, I'm holding _you _responsible for this."

"I don't blame you." he replied, picking up the monocle, but not even trying to sooth his stinging face, "but right now, we need to help this girl.

Dara nodded, her sanity overcoming her anger.

"How do you know this child?" he asked the young woman.

"She's my daughter." Dara replied, kneeling across from the man.

The stranger's head shot up, staring into Dara's green eyes. "How is that possible...?" he asked, still holding the compress tightly against Constance's leg. The bleeding was slowing now.

"She –" Realizing that she was going to reveal the truth to a stranger, she instead replied, "That's none of your business."

The stranger nodded, "I asked for that. Please, accept my apologies for the personal question... and for the trauma you and your daughter," he looked at the two other scared children standing in the room, "and you other friends have gone through because of me..."

Dara took a deep breath, considering what the stranger had said. She looked into his face. His short black hair and dark bushy eyebrows seemed to mute his kind dark eyes and she marveled again at the man's skin-tone, a bit darker than her owe blue skin. The clothes he wore looked like a military field uniform of some sort. She didn't recognize the uniform, but the sharp, roughly triangular, red insignia seemed familiar somehow. "Tell me who you are, and I'll consider it." she said.

The bleeding now stymied, the stranger let up the pressure on the girl's leg. He administered the antiseptic, clearing away any germs that might have flocked to the wound during the trek up here.

Dara waited for his answer as he bandaged the wound in silence.

"She'll wake up soon enough. Likely she passed out from the shock of what happened. Her vital signs are good. She is in no danger." the stranger looked thoughtfully at Dara and said, "I'm an astrophysicist. I dabble in xenobiology, as you've seen first-hand." he stood up, motioning her to do the same. "I suppose you've disposed of him?"

"No." Dara shook her head. "I'm not authorized to carry out executions on passengers' property." she smirked.

The stranger nodded. "I'm... grateful." he said.

"You're welcome." she said out of the corner of her mouth then looked back at Mina and Rindi who were still standing there waiting for their friend to wake up. "It's alright," Dara said to them. "She'll be okay." she looked at the stranger again, "Thank you... for helping my daughter..."

The man nodded in return, "I would never turn away someone in need of help." he looked at the other two children. "You may stay as long as you want."

"Th-thank you." Rindi replied.

The man smiled and turned to the young woman, "My name is Garen Krenshaw."

After a moment's hesitation she returned the favor, "I'm Dara."

"I see we share common roots." he said, referring to the shared skin-tone.

"Truthfully, I... I don't know where home is."

Garen thought about that for a moment, "Have you ever heard of an ancient line of starfarers, the Ibrahemic* people?"

"It... sounds... familiar..." a strange expression crossed Dara's face as something from her past skirted just out of reach of her memory. "But I don't remember why." she shook her head.

Garen shrugged. "No matter." he gestured to the sleeping child, changing the subject, "What is your daughter's name?"

Dara looked at her little girl's now-peaceful face and said, "Constance..." then realizing the man was waiting for a surname, she said the only thing she could make up on the spot, "Constance... Mariposa." she secretly added the title, "princess" onto it.

"She looks like her father then." Krenshaw said, noting again the girl's red-brown hair and light skin."

"I'm so glad I colored my hair brown," she thought to herself. "No... more like some other relative I think." Dara said wistfully, remembering something else that she couldn't quite grasp. It had been her constant plague ever since she could remember... she had a life before she was entrusted to Zordar's... care, she knew, but she couldn't remember. Every time she tried to call up a memory from before her seventh birthday it was like grasping the air – nothing came to her.

"You are blessed to have her." Krenshaw said.

"I know." replied Dara.

"You can stay here tonight." he offered, then said to Mina and Rindi, "I assume you two have families to return to."

The two children nodded vigorously.

Dara looked intently at the scientist, evaluating him more thoroughly. Finally deciding he was no threat, she said, "We'll stay." then to the children she said, "Go on back to your parents."

The boy and girl nodded again and left.

"I need to let the cargo chief know where he can reach me, and I need to go corral your pet again. I'm sure he's awake by now." Dara said.

"No, please, stay here. I'll get him back in his cage. It's my own fault you had to go round him up anyway." said Garen.

"Thank you..." Dara said.

The scientist moved to leave.

"You... umm... might need this." she extended one of her weapons to him, handle first."

"Thank you," Krenshaw looked at the proffered gun, "but he prefers something a bit less... shocking." the scientist retrieved what looked like a medium-sized chunk of meat. "He's out because he's hungry. I'll be back."

When the scientist had gone, Dara knelt down by her daughter's resting place again. She saw again the peculiar cowlick in the girl's hair that made her bangs split in the form of butterfly wings.

"Mariposa*..." she whispered again. "Yes, from now on... you'll be Constance Mariposa..."

* * *

**Chapter 1 Notes:**

* Amah – mother  
* Aba – father  
* Kapara sheli – my little darling  
* Ibrahemic - one branch of a three-branch family originating on Earth; they traveled the stars, settling many worlds; a reference to the previous book, _The Guardiana_  
* Mariposa – butterfly


	5. Chapter 2: The Inn-keeper

**Chapter 2: The Inn-keeper**

Morning had finally come. After a long night spent in a dank cave, the crown prince of Gamilon had not slept well. The constant dripping of water both inside and outside the natural refuge had kept him awake. Masterson had volunteered to stay up and keep watch for any of Deun's forces that might have followed them from the palace, but Desslok had told him not to bother. His elder twin Deun might have been a conniving traitor, but his creativity was sometimes limited when it came to common sense.

Poisoning their father, usurping the throne, enlisting the Guardiana followers so that he could gain their shêd*-summoning power – this was Deun's "ingenious" plan. He _was_ inventive when it came to making Desslok's life difficult, that he would readily admit.

Deun's poisoning of their father had resulted in him being disinherited and Desslok being appointed the next heir in his stead. This of course made Deun supremely angry and even more determined to have the throne. The news never left the palace. Deun had silenced anyone who might betray the fact that he was no long the legitimate heir. If Masterson had not come three nights ago to warn Desslok of Deun's plans to kill him, he might not be alive right now.

As for the Guardiana followers, Desslok knew that his brother had no idea what he was dealing with. The zealots sought only their own well-being and the furtherance of their strange cult. What Deun didn't know was that the former leader of the cult was their own grandmother, Aurelia Guardiana – known to many as the most recent "Queen Guardiana."

Their mother Queen Talonka, before her death, had left Desslok a chronicle of their family's history, detailing for him how the cult began almost two thousand years before and how things had come to be so dire in Rapha'owr, the planet's capitol. The past seven years had been hard for all of them. The loss of his mother had thrown his father into a depression that had only been aggravated by the fact that Desslok bore the same marking his mother had – a peculiar swath of white skin adorning his left hand, setting the two white outside fingers and half of the middle one in contrast against the rest of his normally-colored, blue skin.

That marking had come to mean something much more than it used to after he had seen the history his mother had left for him. It's entire meaning was still unclear, but he knew that he should be careful who he revealed this particular secret to.

He got up, glanced over at the still-sleeping Masterson, made sure there was no one around, then stepped out of the cave and into the rain-wet forest. He looked down again at the hand that had given him so much trouble over the years. It was ungloved now, the pale section of skin seeming to glow in the soft light of the morning. He clenched and unclenched his fist, as he had done innumerable times ever since the day he understood that the mark he bore made him somehow inferior in the eyes of his father.

The other thing that had so reminded his father of Talonka was his twin sons' hair color. Both sons shared their mother's red-gold hair – which in truth was very odd. There was a very long story behind it, but the short version of it was that the descendant of Queen Guardiana that was to succeed her would be marked by some shade of red hair. The thing that puzzled the prince was that the other requirement for succession was that the heir be female.

His grandmother, Aurelia had had Talonka, his mother, to pass the position of Queen Guardiana on to, but his mother's conversion to Christianity had kept that from happening. The next logical step for Aurelia to take would be to give the position to Talonka's daughter... but Deun and Desslok, to their knowledge, had no sister.

But the plight of the Guardiana followers was not his to resolve. He had other problems to deal with at the moment – such as finding a dry place to stay.

The torrential rains that had come these past two days had started to flood the low-lying areas of the country-side. He and Masterson had been fortunate to even find this place – disagreeably damp as it was – in this area.

"Sir?" Masterson Talan's voice interrupted the prince's thoughts – as he did frequently. "We should be moving on now. They will have sent Mossad* after us."

"Talan, have you not learned yet that sometimes my brother doesn't do what makes sense?" the prince smirked. "And I hope you realize that your fellow agents are not the only ones who can time-delve.*"

Masterson gave the prince a side-long look. "I should have known. I take it you were inspired by your grandmother's exploits."

"Why waste good inspiration?" the prince replied. "I discovered how she did it – changed the readings those agents got when they investigated the murder. We need not worry about Mossad. They won't even know we've been here."

"You erased our tracks back at the palace too then?"

"Of course." said the prince matter-of-factly.

"It is still best that we continue, Sir." Masterson said.

The prince nodded. "I know, Talan. Let's be off then, before we end up under water."

Masterson fished some miscellaneous device out of his pocket and turned it on with a gesture. "Radar's showing more storm activity heading this way. We have a window of a few hours. That should be long enough to get us to the foothills."

Silence fell between them for a few moments. The local wildlife made their voices heard during the lull.

"Where do we go from here, Masterson?" the prince asked absently.

"North, Sir." replied Masterson.

"I was not strictly referring to direction."

Masterson looked at his ruler, his friend, and said, "I don't know, Sir..."

With that admission from Talan, Desslok breathed a heavy sigh. "North we shall go then... until something better shows its face to us."

With that the two went back into the small cave, retrieved what provisions they had brought with them and struck out again, heading North.

The next few hours were spent slogging through a marshy area of the woods, avoiding quicksand and the native swamp creatures.

When they finally reached dry ground again, the sky was clouding up, threatening to soak them through. The threat was carried out when, a half hour and no shelter later, the rain began to fall in thick sheets.

"This way!" Masterson shouted over the roar of the rain. "I see something that could be a building!"

The only response he received from the drenched prince was a half-hearted grunt which he could barely hear above the din of the storm.

Masterson continued on towards the shape he could just make out through the pouring rain, looking back every so often to make sure he hadn't lost the prince he had dedicated his life to protecting.

Just as Masterson thought, the shape he had seen was indeed a building – an inn. They had stumbled across a small town settled into the base of the foothills. It was surrounded by several patches of forest, hiding it from the immediate view of travelers.

The two young men ducked under the overhang outside the door, finally getting out of the cold, stinging rain.

Masterson looked at the prince's hair. Satisfied that the brown coloring was still in place, covering Desslok's red hair, he opened the door and stepped inside, the prince two steps behind him.

"Shalom aleichem,* travelers" said a friendly male voice. "What brings you out here on such an unpleasant day as today?"

Masterson looked around to find the owner of the voice.

Standing behind a low counter was the oddest looking inn-keeper Masterson had ever seen. He looked to be eight to ten years older than he and the prince - close to twenty-five. He was a giant of a man, towering over them at a height of six and a half feet. He was barrel-chested and burly, looking like he had been lifting small houses for a living instead of guest's luggage. He kept his dark brown hair shaved close to his head, and he looked at the two newcomers with eyes that suggested years of experience with all kinds of people, and yet something in them still remained trusting – loyal.

"We are in need of someplace to wait out this storm, sir." Masterson said. "Do you have a vacant room?"

"Indeed." the man replied, a bit downcast. "These days we have room and to spare. Not many come this way anymore. In fact, you're the first visitors we've had in over a month. Those zealots have driven our business away."

"They come this far outside Rapha'owr?" Masterson asked casually, fishing for more information.

"They used to. Not so much anymore. There's no one left to terrorize – no one who will put up with them, that is."

"So there are still people who live around here." Masterson said, clarifying.

"Oh yes, a good number to tell the truth, just not very many visitors." the man bemoaned. "Are you sure you only want one room? Your friend there was making faces at me when you asked for 'a' room."

Masterson looked thoughtfully at the inn-keeper, then considered the funds they had hastily packed. Before he got a chance to answer the man said, "I'll give you the second one for half-price."

"Very well. Two rooms then." Masterson relented, trying not to smirk at the pleased expression he knew would be on the prince's face.

Masterson paid the inn-keeper.

"Will, since you're my guests now, I suppose introductions are in order. I am Dommel Lysis. I run this place with my wife Elisa and my younger brother David."

Masterson froze for a moment, something about the man's name nudging his memory. Then he realized that their host now expected to receive their names in return. Giving his own real first name would be no trouble, but the surname would need some adjustment. He was not well-known to anyone inside or outside the palace aside from Desslok and potentially the former Leader Deun, the prince's father. His own father, Admiral Raymond Talan had gained some fame through the years though and the name "Talan" might be too familiar to risk using.

The prince's name however... _that_ would need a complete overhaul – a very _quick_ overhaul.

He forged on, trusting that Desslok had thought far enough ahead and had something ready in the event of such a question.

"You can call me Masterson Turov." he said with no hint of anxiety.

Lysis nodded, accepting the name without question.

Masterson started to breathe a silent sigh of relief, but one look at Desslok stopped him. The prince was just staring at Lysis strangely, for no obvious reason.

Masterson looked at the inn-keeper, slightly put off by the prince's strange behavior and said, "Perhaps we could finish our introductions later, sir. We seem to be leaving watermarks all over your floor."

The man shrugged. "Very well. My brother will see you to your rooms."

From out of nowhere there appeared a man who looked to be a few years younger than the inn-keeper. He had light brown hair and brown eyes that, though plain, looked as though they held a hundred stories, waiting to be told.

The inn-keeper keyed something into the inn's computer then looked up and told his brother, "Fourteen and sixteen,"

The younger man nodded to Dommel and turned to their guests.

"David Lysis." the younger man declared, nodding to each of the teenagers. "This way." he motioned for the two teenagers to follow him down a clean, but dimly-lit hallway and up to the doors of two connecting rooms with the numbers 14 and 16 displayed prominently on them.

"Thank you." Masterson nodded to the younger Lysis. The man smiled and returned to wherever he had appeared from to begin with.

Masterson looked at the door curiously. There was a computer screen anchored to the wall. As he looked at it, the screen blinked to life and the outline of a hand appeared on the display. Masterson placed his hand in the indicated area.

"Voice recognition required for initial entrance." said a small voice.

Masterson provided his adjusted name, hoping that the computer was not going by the records back in the database at the capitol. He waited for the computer to say something about "voice/identity mismatch" or something otherwise detrimental. But despite his fears, the door opened, just as it should, allowing both young men to enter.

The door closed quickly behind them.

One thing could be said for this place - it was certainly clean. Everything was in its place. There wasn't even any dust to speak of.

Almost immediately, Desslok pulled out the crystal he had downloaded his artificial intelligence named Mintra'el* onto before their flight from the palace. He plugged it into something resembling a holographic projector – one of his recent inventions, no doubt – and held it out at arms' length.

"Masterson, something doesn't make sense about this place – about this 'Dommel Lysis.'"

"I concur." Masterson offered.

The prince spoke to the device he held, "Mintra'el, find and jam all surveillance devices in this area."

"Yes, Sir." the disembodied female voice replied. A second or two later it said, "No surveillance equipment detected. The room is clean."

"None at all?" the prince asked, skeptical.

"Correct, Sir."

"Do the same for the rooms on either side of this one." the prince said.

"They are clean as well." the computer replied.

The prince's eyes narrowed, "Is the room to the left of this one occupied?"

"No, Sir. In addition to the two of you, there are only four other occupants of this building: three male, one female."

"_Three_ male?" Masterson asked.

"Correct" replied the computer.

There was a moment of silence before Masterson said, "Sir, I know the name 'Lysis.' I cannot remember where, but I know I've heard it before."

"Mintra'el, check the records in the planetary database. See if any of them mention a Dommel Lysis. Check all variant spellings."

"Yes, Sir."

Desslok and Masterson stood in the middle of the rented room in silence for a moment before the A.I. returned their requested results.

"There is no such person listed in the information-network. It appears that he does not exist."

"What do you mean, it 'appears?'" Desslok queried.

"His file may have been purged at some point in the past." came the reply.

"Are there any documents that mention him, his brother David Lysis, or his wife, Elisa?"

Another moment of silence ensued.

"No, Sir. They all seem to be absent from any records, documentation, or licenses."

"What about this town? Does it have a local data center you can connect with?" the prince asked.

"Indeed." replied the A.I. "Ah, yes, there is a business license here signed by a 'Dommel Lysis' and cosigned by both 'David Lysis' and 'Elisa Trefus Lysis.'"

"Mintra'el, reconnect with the planetary network and search for 'Elisa Trefus.'"

"Already doing so, Sir." said Mintra'el. "There is one document – a marriage record including the name 'Elisa Trefus,' but the rest of the document has been corrupted. It does not list the name of the man she was married to."

"Convenient..." Desslok mumbled.

"Wait!" Masterson said in a loud whisper, "I know where I've heard it before."

The prince raised an eyebrow at Talan.

"I remember my father talking about one of the men under his command – a man named Treinel Lysis. When he fought alongside my father he was a lieutenant, but he quickly showed himself capable of leadership and was given a command post on one of the ships during the days of the Bolar incursions. He had two sons. The older one joined the GRN* when he turned seventeen – which would have been around the time..."

"That my mother was murdered on that last mission – the final thrust to the Bolar homeworld." the prince supplied. "Whoever this 'Lysis' is, we must tread carefully from now on. If he was involved in that last mission, he might know something about what really happened that day, which would make him a prime candidate for zealots to come after. If he is indeed an enemy of the Guardiana followers, we may have found ourselves an ally."

"But if he isn't and all of this is proved empty conjecture...?" Masterson asked.

"Then we'll be dead soon." the prince replied flatly. "There are only three reasons a man disappears: first, he is dead and has no family; second, he is running from planetary security; or third, he knows too much about something. It is obvious he is not dead, and no man in his right mind running from security agents signs a business license or puts down roots the way this man has. The only logical conclusion is that he knows something he shouldn't."

"Why does he still use his real name then?" asked Masterson.

"Perhaps he does not know that his knowledge is so valuable. If he never realizes the import of what he knows, he cannot purposefully sell it to the enemy of whoever made him disappear in the first place." Desslok replied.

"And you reasoned all of that out in the past three minutes?"

"Of course not, Talan. It was five minutes at the least."

Masterson shook his head. "Sir, I will never know how you do that."

"Logic, Talan. Learn it. It will save your life one day."

"Yes, Sir. But, there remains an unanswered question." Masterson folded his arms across his chest, looking thoughtful, "Who is the other person in the inn? Only three are accounted for – the inn-keeper, his brother, and his wife."

"Mintra'el. Are you sure there is another person here?" the prince queried the A.I. again.

"Yes, Sir. There are undoubtedly one female and three male entities present."

"This third male," Masterson addressed the computer, "does he have a name that you can find."

"He has no name." the A.I. replied.

"Is he an animal?" Masterson continued.

"There is one animal life-sign just outside the building, but no, the entity in question is a person."

"Can you give us an approximate age for him?" the prince asked this time.

"I am unable to determine that information from this distance."

"Can you tell us his location then?" Masterson asked.

"He is with the inn-keeper's wife, Elisa. They are in the room off to the right of the door you used to enter the building. I believe it is a foyer area."

With that Desslok turned off the device he was holding and slipped the crystal and his invention back into the pockets from which they had been produced.

"Let's find out exactly who this unknown fourth person is." Desslok said as he pulled out his faithful handgun and with one quick motion tucked it away from sight.

Masterson nodded and followed the prince out the door. The two turned to their right and walked back down the dim hall, out towards the entrance. They half-way expected the inn-keeper's younger brother to appear, but he did not. When they reached the desk they had checked in at, there was no one there, but voices – one male, one female – could be heard coming from the foyer off to the left that Mintra'el had mentioned.

Carefully, quietly, the two crept towards the voices. The closer they came, the more puzzled they got. The male voice sounded just like the inn-keeper's. Could the device the prince had conjured have gotten a bit too much moisture in its circuits during the swamp trek and the walk through the rain? Had it caused the A.I. to mis-read the life-signs present in the area?

They finally reached the wide, doorless opening that led into the foyer.

Masterson peeked around the corner as unobtrusively as possible. From his vantage point all he could see was the back of a man's head. Whoever it was, his body almost completely blocked Masterson's view of the woman who sat across from him.

Talan moved his hand through the doorway, starting to lean in for a little bit of a better view of the two people.

A strange chirping noise made him freeze.

"What is it, Juji?" the woman asked as a large black bird with a scarlet v-shaped marking snaking around the base of its long, thin neck alighted on the floor directly in front of Masterson. The animal's beak opened vertically – not horizontally as other birds' beaks would and it let out a loud squawk.

"Juji!" the woman scolded from the other side of the room.

The bird squawked again.

"Juji – " this time the man turned to see what the animal's problem was and saw the young man standing there. "Oh, Masterson Turov." It was the inn-keeper. "Don't be afraid of him, he makes a lot of noise, but he isn't dangerous."

Now that the inn-keeper's head was out of the way, Masterson could see the woman's face. Blonde hair and mirthful light green eyes highlighted an apple-shaped face. Her skin was a lighter blue than Masterson's – which was to be expected if she had been spending most of her time inside. All-in-all, she was beautiful in a delicate way. Her greyish-blue dress – at least, the portion of it that he could see – was decorated by light blue markings along the sleeves and down the front. Black trim peeked out over the top of her high collar.

"Please, come in." the woman motioned for him to enter.

"Your friend who doesn't have a name can come in too, by the way. Juji really doesn't mind." the man said.

Masterson glanced over his shoulder and saw Desslok standing behind him, glaring at the bird.

"Sir?" Masterson whispered.

"What?" Desslok answered in kind, though in a more annoyed tone.

"We might as well go in."

The prince nodded, still glaring at the bird as they walked past him cautiously.

Juji waddled along behind them, chirping at the pair as they walked towards his keepers, looking warily about the room as they went.

Now Masterson had a clear view of both the inn-keeper and the blonde woman.

"My wife, Elisa." Dommel said, looking at the woman with obvious love, "And my son whom we expect to arrive within the next month."

Masterson wanted to smack himself in the face for his own stupidity.

Their mysterious extra person was now accounted for.

* * *

**Chapter 2 Notes:**

* shêd – pronounced "shade" - means "demon" or "devil"  
* Mossad – secret service, special operations unit  
* time-delve – the ability to use a device called a time-spoor which allows the user to track what happened in a particular area during the hours prior to the investigation  
* Shalom aleichem – Greeting; means, "Peace be upon you"  
* Mintra'el – Desslok's A.I. which he programmed himself; she is always a willing "partner in crime" for him  
* GRN – Gamilon Royal Navy


	6. Chapter 3: The Princess

**Chapter 3: The Princess **

"Adrianna, it's only a birthday party – and one that I'm not really looking forward to at that." Starsha, second born of the three princesses of Iscandar said, casting her leafy friend a reluctant glance. "You know how I hate these events..."

"Yes, mistress, I know." the semi-sentient plant laughed. "But it is necessary for you and your sister to have some experience interacting with those who will one day look up to you and your sister as their rulers."

"Of course, Adrianna. It's just that there are so... many... of them."

The plant made a tittering sound. "I think it isn't the number of people that bothers you, so much as the thought of having to make conversation with them all."

"Yes..." Starsha sighed. Today was her and her twin sister Astra's fourteenth birthday and the dreaded party was for them. Unfortunately such things were a part of their lives, as the royal family. Everyone thought that the lives of the king and queen and their children were meant to be fodder for dinner conversations.

Ever since she could remember, her mother, Queen Kara, had told her that people are often unforgiving of the faults of others, even though the problems they publicly despise in other people are often the very faults they themselves have.

"It will not last forever, Starsha. This too shall pass, and you will be the better for it." If the plant could have smiled, she would have, but in lieu of that, she rustled her leaves a bit.

The princess nodded reluctantly and smiled at Adrianna, who was hanging from a hook embedded in the ceiling of Starsha's living area.

For all the unwanted attention it often brought, living in the palace did have its benefits – her own suite of rooms for example. Most girls her age would have had their own room – but not their own apartment or servants to clean it for her. Though sometimes she wished that they would let her take care of her own space herself.

A gigantic window overlooked the Sea of Iscandar down below. She walked over to the clear pane for one last look at the bay and the sea beyond it before she went down to the dreaded gathering.

A few sailing ships docked in the harbor and several others were heading out into the open sea for a day of fishing. Gulls swooped down on the fishermen that were just arriving, hoping to get some of their catch for themselves. The men swatted the birds off and the animals swooped away squawking in protest.

Several space vessels had also docked: visitors from other parts of the Continent, the southern island, and the other outlying islands, no doubt.

Starsha let out one last sigh before stepping away from the window and walking back over to door. It spiraled open for her.

"If I don't come back, send one of the servants to come get me. I may have died from being stared at too long." she called back to Adrianna.

The plant made her tittering sound again, "I will, mistress. Enjoy your party anyway."

* * *

Starsha could feel her face starting to flush as she entered the already-crowded room. She wished for the thousandth time that some natural disaster had decided to happen today so that she would be spared this agony.

"Good morning, princess." her first assailant came up to her. It was a pleasant-looking old woman, perhaps approaching a hundred and seventy. Her teeth – remarkably all still there – were neat and white; her bright white hair shone with radiance in the light of the room. Happy eyes looked at the young teenager with curiosity.

"L'chaim tovim u-le-shalom, kha-khahm.*" she replied respectfully to the woman.

"And to you, young one." the old woman replied. "I wish you and your sister the best."

"Thank you." the princess nodded graciously to the woman, and with that the first of several hundred conversations was over.

Starsha made her way slowly over to her sister Astra, wading through the attendees, sending "Shaloms*" and "Barukh tihyehs*" in every direction as she went and receiving countless hugs, good wishes and token gifts as she went. By the time she made it to Astra she was ready to unload the armful of tiny packages she held.

"Here, let me help you with that." said her elder twin, holding out a hand to relieve some of the load her sister was carrying.

"Thank you." the younger princess said, "I was just about to drop something I think." she laughed quietly, "I don't even know why half of these people are here, Astra. We don't even know most of them."

"Just wait until we're sixteen. We won't know ninety percent of the people who show up for _that_ celebration." replied her sister.

"How did Sasha get out of coming anyway?" the younger twin asked the elder.

"She's only eleven, that's how." Astra said clandestinely.

"I wish _I_ were eleven right now." Starsha replied in kind.

"It's not really so bad. At least _you_ don't have to make a speech." Astra rolled her hazel eyes. "As the eldest, I'm expected to say something that sounds intelligent."

"I don't envy you." said Starsha.

"You two seem to be getting along with the guests well." the voice startled the pair.

"Oh! Mother. Yes, they're very... pleasant... people." Astra said, looking a bit less than thrilled.

Queen Kara looked down at her two oldest daughters with a smile. Placing one arm around the shoulders of each girl, she hugged them both. "I know it doesn't seem like it now, but this really isn't that terrible. All of these people will one day look to you, Astra as their queen and you, Starsha as their crown princess in the event of your sister's death. They come today because they see you as the future of Iscandar."

The girls looked up at their mother, seeing again the light that was always in her eyes and the gentleness that ever-flooded up from her heart and into her face.

"Yahweh* has been gracious to me in giving me two wonderful daughters whom I can trust to someday take mine and your father's place and lead these people," she looked out over the increasing crowd, "wisely and lovingly – as Yeshua would have you to."

"Has anyone ever tried to discredit our predecessors who were also of the Christian faith?" Starsha asked quietly enough so as not to be heard by the nearest knot of visitors slowly drifting their way.

"Oh, sometimes." the Queen replied, letting her arms drop to her sides again and brushing lightly at her long, deep magenta dress, "But it was the will of Yahweh that the dissenters failed to overthrow them. God protects His own, Starsha. Never doubt Him, even when what He is doing doesn't seem to make sense to you, know that He has a purpose in it – 'to give you an expected end'*. The ways of Yahweh are not our ways. Do you remember the story of my grandmother, Ilya of Iscandar*?"

"The one that great-great-grandmother Janina told us before she died?" Astra asked.

"Yes." said the Queen.

"I remember," said Starsha. "A woman came to the palace one night during a rain storm. She brought a baby to Great-great-grandmother but she wouldn't say who its parents were. Grandmother Janina accepted the baby and made her her son's future bride right then and there. Did they ever discover who Grandmother Ilya's parents were?"

"No," said their mother, "the only thing they were able to discover was that she was not born to Iscandari parents. Her gene-markers were slightly different from that of an Iscandarian, though not so different as to imply that she was born to one of the Cometine people for example."

"But how can they be entirely sure of that?" Astra interjected. "Didn't they discover later that she had been genetically altered somehow?"

"Genetically engineered, not altered. Some of her physical characteristics were determined by her parent or parents. But, even genetically engineered individuals still retain the same gene-markers that they would have had if they hadn't been engineered." said Kara.

Starsha thought about this, wondering what other undiscovered traits might have been passed down from her great-great-grandmother.

"But the reason I asked if you remembered that story wasn't to discuss genetics. Grandmother Janina took a risk in accepting that little girl. She didn't know where the child had come from – what kind of birth parents she had. She didn't even know that the baby had been genetically engineered. She saw a child in need of help and she took a step of faith, trusting that Yahweh would honor her decision to do the right thing and offer protection to the girl... And that girl, Queen Ilya of Iscandar is remembered as the wisest of all queens in the history of our world. Her husband King Jaton never neglected an opportunity to praise her.

"The undaunted faith of Queen Ilya is still lauded. She and her husband trusted in Yahweh to see Iscandar through a time of great trouble: a time many thought would destroy the Iscandari people and the entire planet with them."

Astra interrupted, "And that was when they built the Rophi Shamayim* with the help of Gamilon."

"Yes, to reverse the damage the Cometine war fleets had inflicted on Iscandar. The planet went from a scarred husk to a world of oceans and islands once again. That was when the Gamilon-Iscandari Alliance was born." Kara looked up at the domed ceiling of the hall that had been chosen for the gathering.

Starsha, seeing her mother's gaze shift, looked upward too and she let out a quiet gasp of wonder. "I've never seen that before..." she whispered to her mother.

"Isn't it beautiful? I've often come here just to look at this painting..." said Queen Kara softly.

"Is that Grandmother Ilya?" Starsha asked quietly as Astra, who had missed the shift in conversation, stepped away from her mother and sister to talk with some more visitors.

Queen Kara smiled, "No, dear. It isn't."

"But that woman reaching out across the stars – she – she looks like..."

"Yes, I know she looks like Queen Ilya, and also like my mother and like me, and like you and Astra and Sasha."

"Mother..." Starsha looked at the queen strangely, "Who is the man reaching back towards her?"

"I'm afraid I don't know... He is of Gamilon descent, that is unmistakeable, but I have only ever seen one person from our sister planet who bore that color hair... and she has been dead these past seven and a half years..."

"That's a strange uniform he wears," Starsha continued, "Have you ever seen it before?"

"Indeed I have... once... the day the woman I just mentioned was buried. It is the formal uniform that the Leader of Gamilon wears for ceremonies or special events."

"Who was the woman?" Starsha asked, getting more curious as the conversation progressed.

"Queen Talonka, Leader Deun's wife."

There was silence between the mother and daughter for a moment before Starsha said, "But... if that happened seven and a half years ago, why didn't you take Astra and I with you to the funeral?"

"I did take Astra, and I would have taken you as well, but you were fighting off a bad infection at the time, so I had to leave you and Sasha in the good hands of your grandmother while your father, sister and I went to Gamilon for the burial."

Starsha continued to stare up at the ceiling mural, "Yes... I remember that now... People kept talking about what a great tragedy it was... What happened to her?"

Kara momentarily shifted her gaze away from the ceiling and on to some of the guests milling about, then her eyes were drawn back to the celestial picture, "She... was betrayed... and her ship sabotaged. They were forced to land on the nearest planet – a Bolar colony world. Many of the crew were captured... most of the others were killed... only a few escaped. The queen was brought to the homeworld where the Premier pronounced her death sentence. That is all I know – all that Leader Deun would tell me..." the Iscandari queen took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly, "She was my friend, Starsha... one of the best I've ever had..."

"I'm sorry..." her daughter said, looking at the queen again. "I didn't realize..."

"No, it's alright... I'll see her again one day, just as I'll see Grandmother Janina and Grandmother Ilya again either after my death or when Mashiach* summons his church to Himself, before the End* comes." she paused for a moment, "I'm glad that you haven't had to know that particular sorrow as of yet."

"You mean losing a friend...?"

Queen Kara nodded, her gaze still sweeping over the ceiling, "Yes..."

Starsha nodded back thoughtfully as she too continued to study the masterpiece that had been unfolded above them. "When was this painted?" she asked quietly, suddenly returning to the previous subject.

"It was done to commemorate the beginning of the hundredth year of the Alliance, twenty years ago today. It was jointly commissioned by Leader Deun, your grandfather King Enoch, and your grandmother Queen Starsha, for whom you are named." replied her mother.

The younger princess stared silently at the face of the woman above her for a moment. "Then... that is my grandmother, Queen Starsha...?"

Her mother smiled again, "I do not know, Starsha... I'm not sure that anyone really knows..." she sighed a sigh full of tranquility, "There has always been something about this picture that speaks peace to me whenever I come to look at it... as though Yahweh is trying to impart some piece of comforting knowledge to my soul. I don't know that I can explain it fully to you." she finally looked at her daughter again and Starsha returned her mother's gaze. "Well, now that we've been staring at the ceiling for the past ten minutes I suppose we should see to more of the guests."

Starsha nodded, a bit less uncomfortable among these strangers after hearing her mother's words but also still trying to puzzle out this new mystery she had been presented with.

Before she let her gaze drop though, something, a minute detail about the woman in the picture above her, caught her attentive eye. There, hanging around the woman's neck was a gold, heart-shaped necklace studded with sapphires.

"Your father will be here in a few minutes." Queen Kara said, drawing her daughter's eyes away from the ceiling, "Perhaps if you stay with him for the duration of the party you'll be able to shift your conversational responsibilities off to him." Kara and her daughter smiled conspiratorially as King Alexander of Iscandar walked through the entrance and started towards his wife and twin teenager daughters.

The rest of the gathering wasn't as awful as Starsha had thought it would be. Traversing the crowd with her father was indeed much easier than doing it by herself.

King Alexander was quite tall, over six and a half feet tall, and thin – lithe, not skinny. His blonde hair, like his daughter's shone brightly in the light of the sun coming in through the many windows that were on either side of the spacious room. His short blonde beard was well-kept and his blue eyes were lively as ever today and his usual charisma was still in top form.

The King's apparel was not quite like anything else represented in the room. He wore a loose shirt of deep forest green tucked into dark black pants which were in turn tucked into dark grey boots, the tops of which were gilded with intricate, golden designs that incorporated elements of nature – leaves, vines, blooms, even a few feathers. The shirt's sleeves were long. Its cuffs were also golden, sprouting similar designs as the boots. The collar came up almost to his jawline on either side and came down to a narrow square end just below his collarbone.

He was every inch a king and the guests were happy to let him take command of the conversation indefinitely.

* * *

Once the guests had all left, the king and queen and their daughters were about to return to their normal affairs, but just before they left the room they were greeted by a messenger.

"Majesties," she nodded to the king and queen, "Princesses," she nodded to Astra and Starsha, "There is a call for your daughters from our sister world." the messenger addressed the rulers.

"Thank you, Elke." the king said to the servant woman, then he looked at the twins. His daughters had a look of surprise and excitement on their faces. They had not heard anything from Gamilon for much too long, though in light of Leader Deun's depression since the death of his wife, not surprising. "They will take the call in Astra's quarters as soon as they can get there."

"Yes, Sire." the messenger nodded, relayed the instructions to the waiting communications tech and left the royals to their business.

The twins hurried to the elder's quarters, eager to find out who would be calling them from Gamilon.

"Receive the call." said Astra as she and Starsha walked into the living area of her apartment.

The door closed behind them and the teenagers watched as a man they had never seen before materialized before them.

"Greetings, princesses." said the tall Gamilon. "I am sure that you have heard the terrible news of Leader Deun's failing health..."

Both princesses eyes widened a bit, but they caught themselves before the Gamilon noticed their surprise. No such news had been communicated to them...

"We offer our condolences to the Leader's family." said Astra, and Starsha bowed in respect to the unknown man.

"Our new Leader, who will soon be crowned, wishes to offer his congratulations to you."

"Thank you, sir." said Astra. "And what may we call you?"

"I am Yeshin, Regent for the new Leader until his coronation."

"Regent Yeshin." Astra repeated. "We thank you for your call."

The man nodded to the princesses and surrendered the floor to a much younger man.

If the appearance of the Regent had shocked Starsha, the face that she now beheld surprised her even more. At first, her excitement felt as though it would spill over the brim of her heart, but as she looked into the eyes of the young man, his face sent a wave of strange foreboding through her. Before her stood the the very image of the man in the ceiling mural.

His auburn hair was a bit longer than it had been in the picture and his face was harder, but it was definitely his face... or at the very least, the face of someone who looked exactly like him. Green eyes searched first Astra's pleasant face, and then her own. His gaze rested on her just a bit longer than she was comfortable with and something in her urged her to tread carefully with this young ruler-to-be.

"I send my congratulations to you both on surviving another year of palace life." a wry smirk spread across his face and he bowed charmingly to them both.

"Thank you, Leader." Astra said, nonplussed.

"Yes, our thanks to you." Starsha added after a half-second of uncomfortable hesitation.

"I am – or rather, I will be Leader Deun II when I finally reach the appropriate age, five months from now." he rolled his eyes, "It does seem an eternity when you're waiting for it, does it not?"

"I suppose so." Astra replied politely.

Starsha could tell that her sister was starting to dislike this young man. He seemed proud and brash – not at all the way his people would need him to be in light of the imminent passing of his father.

"You must have a number of duties to attend to now that your father is unable to fulfill his role as Leader." Astra offered in an attempt to get rid of this pompous oaf.

The young man looked back and forth from one twin to the other again. His gaze was just as disarming this time as it had been a couple of moments before. Astra met his unseemly gaze with eyes full of intolerant fire.

The Leader-to-be, upon seeing the elder princess's outright rejection, looked to the younger twin instead. His eyes met hers with an unveiled suggestive look.

"When I'm appointed Leader, I will, of course, need a queen to stand at my side. I had considered finding a suitable... companion... from among my own people, but perhaps... in light of the Alliance we have with you, our sister world..." he let the sentence trail off, but his meaning was entirely clear.

Starsha just stared back at the face that would have been quite handsome had it not been twisted by a black heart. This very brazen prince had a way of taking her off her guard, but once again, her sister came to her rescue.

"We appreciate your... offer... Leader Deun, but we are not the ones with whom you should speak if you wish to make a... proposal of this kind. You will need to speak with our father and mother, the King and Queen." said the elder girl.

"Perhaps I will." he said, still gazing at Starsha with a desirous look in his eyes. "Good afternoon to you, Princesses. I look forward to speaking with you again sometime."

With that he disappeared, leaving waves of his sour presence behind.

* * *

The door to Starsha's quarters whooshed open, coalescing shut behind her once she had entered.

The princess stopped momentarily in her living area, looking out over the peaceful Sea of Iscandar again, trying to reconcile her thoughts and feelings with what she knew.

But, as she stood there, something in her – was it... fear? – began to seep in. She was not afraid that her parents would accept a marriage proposal from this new conceited prince. That was entirely unlikely. But there remained something about what had just happened that was just so... wrong. Something was out of place. It just didn't make any sense.

"What troubles you, mistress?" came the bubbly voice of Adrianna whispering through her leaves.

Starsha sighed, "Do you know about the painting on the ceiling – the one in the room the party was held in today..."

"I do indeed. I was there when it was painted twenty years ago. It is marvelous, is it not?" said the plant.

"It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen..." said Starsha softly. "When I looked at it, something in my heart felt like it was... full – as though I had found something that I didn't know I had been searching for..."

There was a thoughtful silence, then Adrianna's leaves rustled, "Be careful of listening to your heart, mistress. It will not lead you rightly. Depend instead upon the guidance of the Spirit of Yahweh that lives within you."

"I know, Adrianna... It was not just a feeling that captivated me... It was as if... something in my very spirit was stirred by it. I don't know how to explain it..." she replied. "I saw the face of that young man in the picture..."

"Ah, the Gamilon." whispered the plant.

"Yes." said Starsha, then hope began to rise in her, "Do you know who he is?

"I am afraid I do not, Mistress. His identity has been debated since the painting of the picture, as has the identity of the woman... No one has ever been able to positively identify either one of them. As a result, it has always been thought that these two were merely a symbol of the unity of the two worlds."

A deathly silence fell between the princess and her leafy friend.

"Do you have reason to believe that they are not merely symbolic?" Adrianna's voice transformed from her normal happy tone to something different. In a way, it was now full of some sort of hope that Starsha could not explain.

"I think I might..." she said, fingering the heart-shaped pendant that hung around her neck, the deep blue sapphires shining in the light of the warm afternoon sun.

* * *

**Chapter 3 Notes:**

* L'chaim tovim u-le-shalom, kha-khahm - "Good life and peace to you, wise one"  
* Shalom - "Peace"; a greeting  
* Barukh tihyeh - "Be you blessed"; a greeting  
* Yahweh – Jehovah; God  
* To give you an expected end – a reference to Jeremiah 29:11  
* Ilya of Iscandar – a reference to the previous book _The Guardiana_; the daughter of a woman named Kyren who did not want her child because she lacked certain physical characteristics  
* Rophi Shamayim – literally, "healing of the heavens,"; a machine that cleansed the planet of the damage that the Cometine war fleets had inflicted and rejuvenated the little bit of life that was still left in the planet of Iscandar  
* Mashiach – Messiah  
* The End – The final judgement of the world; the followers of Yeshua (Jesus) will be taken out of the world before the judgment begins


	7. Chapter 4: The Revolutionary

**Chapter 4:The Revolutionary**

"One of them will consent." Deun smirked.

"I should think so, Sire." Yeshin agreed. "Such power – control over all the worlds under both Gamilon and Iscandari control, and the might of the New Order of Guardiana at your command – not even the great Cometine Emperor can boast of that."

"I think the younger girl is more to my liking – Starsha I believe is her name." Deun's eyes narrowed, his devious thoughts giving rise to darker meditations. "The older one is much too stubborn."

"Yes, my lord. But the rulers of Iscandar are followers of Yeshua. They will not lightly hand their daughter over to one who does not share their... religious bent."

"I am aware of the difficulties, _Regent_." Deun sneered at the man. "Leave the Iscandarians to me. They are not our biggest concern right now." the young man stared at Yeshin. "Have the trackers sent any word about my brother?"

"No, Sire..." the Regent replied. "It seems that... he has somehow acquired the ability to... erase his tracks..."

"He what?! That's not even possible!" Deun roared. "Those idiots have obviously missed something. Tell them to look again!"

"Yes, my lord." Yeshin bowed.

"If they are not intelligent enough to find one outcast and his pet Christian, perhaps we are in need of finding... new help." the prince let the threat hang in the air.

"I promise, your brother will be found – even if I have to track him down and haul him in myself." the Regent replied, a look of cold determination coming over him. "What is to be done with the other one – the Christian?"

"Kill him. Slowly."

"And what of the... other matter, Sire? The one that you agreed that we, the followers of the great Queen Guardiana would be allowed to resolve if we leant you our help with your brother?"

"Just be done with it!" Deun snarled at Yeshin. "And leave my name out of it."

"It shall be done, Leader."

* * *

"Well, that was embarrassing..." Desslok said to Masterson once the inn-keeper and his wife left the foyer.

Masterson tried unsuccessfully to hold in a laugh, though he did manage to stem the volume of it. "Not the worst mistake we've ever made though." he smiled.

This earned the admiral's son a half-serious glare. "We seem to have a more important problem than an identity crisis." said Desslok. "My name is the only thing I have left... and I must give it up for a time..." the look on his face changed to one of uncertainty. "Once that one remaining piece of who I am is gone... will you and I be the only ones who really know me...?"

It was a soul-searching question – one that Masterson felt sure that his friend had been wrestling with for a long time, not just since their escape from the palace. The second-born prince had lived in the palace, but he had never truly been a part of the royal family since his mother's death. Leader Deun I, his father, had shunned him because of the mark he bore on his left hand – one identical to the one that Queen Talonka had borne on her own hand. It was too painful a sight for the former Leader to bear, and so he had neglected his second son, showing favor to his elder son, Deun II, who had ultimately betrayed him... to his death.

Ever since he had begun to realize that his father was ignoring him, Desslok had wondered what his true purpose was. He had no faith in anything or anyone but himself; his brother was destined for the throne; the only parent who had loved him was dead; his only real friends were Masterson, Admiral Talan, and Naomi Talan, the admiral's wife. What was there to live for?

The answer to that question was well-known to Masterson and he had often talked with the prince about it. "You are known to Adonai, my friend."

"Adonai." the prince scoffed. "Will you never stop talking about that God of yours?"

"You know the answer to that, Sir." Masterson replied kindly. "He gave me my life. How can I do any less than live for Him?"

Desslok sighed, "What am I to call myself, then?" he changed the subject.

Masterson thought very hard for what seemed like a long time – what was in reality only a minute or two – then something that he had just said to the prince registered in his mind. He chuckled to himself and muttered, "Deuel*..."

"Hmm?" the prince looked at Masterson, "What did you say?"

"Deuel." he repeated.

The prince thought for a moment then nodded and said, "Very well. Until such time as I deem it wise to reveal myself, I shall be known as 'Deuel.'"

The two teenagers sat in silence for another moment.

"I just have one question." said Masterson. "When did you make that interface for Mintra'el?"

The prince smirked. "If I told you everything, Talan, the world would cease to be normal."

* * *

Several hours after the arrival of Desslok and Masterson at the inn, darkness began to creep over the forest, encasing everything in a thick blackness that even the double moons and the stars could not completely dispel. The night felt odd somehow. The nocturnal creatures were much too quiet; their hootings, chirpings, screechings, and howlings had come to an abrupt halt, leaving the woods very still. Only the sounds of drizzling rain, sloshing swamp water and buzzing insects could still be heard in the thick night.

Inside the inn, Masterson, feeling restless, got up out of bed and threw on some clothes. Something – he knew not what – had awakened him. He sensed that all was not well.

The first place he went was to the prince's door, which he opened with no trouble – they had bypassed something in the computer system to allow for two people to have access to this room through both the front door and the connecting door – which he was using now.

Masterson stepped over the threshold and into the prince's room. He looked first at his friend to make sure that nothing was amiss with him; he looked normal. Masterson heard the prince's sleep-heavy breathing, but nothing else. He then surveyed the entire room bit by bit, searching for anything out of place.

Everything was as it should be.

With that, Masterson stepped back over the threshold and into his own room. He shut the connecting door quietly and then left his room to scout out the rest of the inn.

Silence turned out to be a challenge as some of the aging floor wanted to groan under his feet as he crept along the dimly-lit hallway.

As he and Desslok – Deuel now – were only one room from the end of the hallway, Masterson checked that last room first. He listened at the door. Hearing nothing, he tried to open it. Locked. He then fiddled with the hand-scanner until he was able to get the door to open.

It slid open for him, presenting him with a pitch-black, empty room. The only denizens were sheet-covered furniture, making the place look like it was full of ghost-factory rejects.

Masterson let the door close behind him and walked cautiously across the room and over to the two windows, one in the far wall, the other in the wall to his right. Moonlight was shifting in and out of the cloud cover outside, causing the light beams to move this way and that across the dark floor.

Once at the far window, he peeked out to see if he could see anyone outside. Why he thought he might, he had no idea. It was just a sense...

He saw nothing. Only bushes and trees graced his vision.

He moved to the other window on his right, looking out over the foothills which he could barely see through the rainy night as they loomed much closer than he had thought.

A sharp bang startled him and he whirled around, instantly drawing his ever-present weapon and pointing it in the direction of the sound. He looked back and forth from one side of the dark room to the other.

It was only a tree branch clanging against the window pane... Feeling silly, he almost shoved his gun back into his holster, but something he couldn't pinpoint told him not to just yet.

There was nothing here. He was quite sure, so he left the room and began a sweep of every room on the hall. He jury-rigged door after door of empty rooms. Finding nothing, he always moved on to the next one.

The last two rooms he had to check on the first floor were David's and Dommel & Elisa's suite. He didn't feel terribly awkward breaking into David's room – it was almost like looking in on the prince – but when it came to the couple's personal space, he finally decided to just listen at the door for a minute.

David Lysis' room was pretty clean for a bachelor's abode – but then again, he did live in an inn, and there were standards to be met – even for a bachelor.

Masterson quickly surveyed the room and peeked out the half-open window. Seeing and hearing nothing amiss, he left as quietly as he had come. He listened at the inn-keeper and his wife's door, but heard only snores which he assumed were the inn-keeper's.

Having settled that everything on the ground floor was as it should be, he trekked up the short flight of stairs to the vacant second level. There, he found more rooms almost identical to the ones on the first floor, if a tiny bit dustier. It looked like this floor hadn't been used for guests in many months – just like the inn-keeper had said.

Nevertheless, Masterson checked each and every room as quickly as he dared, beginning with the rooms all the way at the end of the hall. With every room he searched, a sense of urgency began to grow within him. He quickened his already hurried pace. When he came to the first room on the hall, he made his quick sweep as he had with every other room in the building, looking under furniture, in closets, in the bathroom, in cabinets, and anywhere else there might be an intruder... or something worse.

When he found nothing he nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but his Mossad-enhanced instincts and the Spirit of Adonai warned him that he had missed something.

Masterson sat down on the sheet-covered bed, unsure of what to do. There was no one in the inn who shouldn't be. There were no explosives rigged inside or out – he had scanned the exterior with the hand-held device he had brought along. It was Mossad-issue, so he was confident that it had not given him false information.

From his seat on the bed, he looked out the room's single window. From here he could see one of the planet's two moons. It was still a bit foggy outside due to the continuing drizzle, but he could see the almost-full, glowing sphere through the haze. Perhaps the rain would lift soon. Then they would be able to see exactly where they were before he and the prince continued on their way.

Something glinted in the moonlight. Masterson's gaze was immediately riveted on the spot. There shouldn't be anything metal out here. There were no out-buildings, no vehicles that weren't stowed away.

Someone was out there, and the chances were that if Masterson could see them from here, that they could see him as well if they looked up.

The admiral's son slowly slid off the bed, making sure not to move too quickly and catch the attention of whoever was outside. As soon as he was out of sight, he ducked under the window sill and withdrew the all-weather vision enhancers he had tucked into one of the many inner pockets of the jacket he wore most of the time.

He put on the fancy goggles and ever so slowly peeked up and over the lip of the window.

There! He could just make out, the form of a man holding a sniper rifle. The color of the man's skin was indeterminable in the darkness, but Masterson could see the source of the glint that had given him away. Around his neck hung a silver amulet – just like the ones many of the followers of Guardiana wore – and just like the ones they used to summon the shêdim.

A surge of adrenaline ran through him, telling him to stand up and shoot the sniper right then, but the rational side of him beat down his protective instinct for just long enough to allow him to realize where the sniper was aiming.

The man had his sights trained on something almost directly below Masterson. The prince was sleeping all the way on the other side of the building, so it couldn't be him this man wanted, and David was sleeping on the other side of the inn... that only left one logical conclusion.

As quickly as he dared move, Masterson scurried across the cold floor on his hands and knees, not standing up again until the door was safely shut behind him.

He flew down the stairs, careful to keep his footsteps from echoing too loudly in the stillness. Thankfully the stairs were covered in a soft material that absorbed much of the sound.

Once down the stairs the young man crouched down, careful to stay below the bottom edge of all of the windows that the sniper might be able to have a view of.

He made a quick calculation in his head and dashed down the hallway back to the prince's room, this time going in through the front door.

"Sir!" he whispered as loudly as he dared. "We have a problem!"

"What, Talan?" the prince asked groggily. "Can't it wait until the morning?"

"Assassins don't wait for morning." he countered.

Hearing this the prince's eyes flew open, all thoughts of sleep abandoned. "Deun found us? How?!"

"They're Guardiana. And they're not here for us." Masterson replied.

"I _knew_there was something going on here." the prince hissed. "Which room?"

"The first one on the right as you go towards the front door of the inn. The younger brother, David is on the left."

Desslok nodded and, without a sound slipped on his shoes and drew his weapon. "We should enlist the brother." he said before adding ominously, "One way or another, that assassin won't be leaving. Lead the way, Talan."

Masterson held his weapon at the ready as he sneaked back down the hallway towards Dommel and Elisa's room. The darkness around them seeming to close in the closer he and the prince came to the door.

"_Adonai, protect us all this night."_thought Masterson, _"__Bring to nought the plans of those who would seek to destroy the innocent. Give us the strength we will need to carry us through whatever we are about to walk into."_

With that prayer the soldier of Adonai and the prince entered David Lysis's room. Masterson woke the twenty-something young man up without startling him too much.

"Okay." said David. "It's nice to have guests again and all, but you're supposed to stay in your _own_roo –" he was cut off by Masterson's silencing hand clamping over his mouth.

"If you value the lives of your brother and his family you'll be quiet." whispered Talan. "There's a sniper positioned outside their window ready to shoot."

David's eyes got big, betraying his shock.

Masterson removed his hand.

"But... who – why –" stuttered the brother.

"We'd like to ask the same questions." Desslok whispered from across the room.

"Who _are_you two?" David asked, his brain still not having quite caught up to reality yet.

"We're friends." Masterson said anonymously before changing the subject, "If you have a weapon I suggest you get it and follow us."

Shaking away what little sleep still remained in his eyes, David reached down into a compartment built into the wall and withdrew a firearm much more serious-looking than either Desslok or Masterson could have guessed.

"You've got a special ops issue assault rifle hidden in your bedroom and you're asking us who _we_are?" the prince asked with just a hint of sass in his voice.

David laughed quietly. "You never know when you might need some extra fire power. That's the first lesson my brother ever taught me; I took it to heart."

"Let's go then." Masterson said quietly, slipping back out of the room, followed closely by Desslok. David, brandishing his weapon, was not far behind.

They stepped over to the opposite door, listening carefully for any indication that anything had already happened.

No sounds of distress met their ears, only the continuous snoring of the inn-keeper.

Masterson sighed in quiet relief. "They're still alive... for now." he said. "David, I need you with me." he turned to Desslok, "Si – Deuel." he nearly slipped, but recovered in time, "Get behind that sniper. And if it comes to it..." Talan looked the prince in the eye, "You know what will have to be done."

The prince, a hard look in his eyes, nodded and slinked away towards the front door before Masterson could say anything else.

"What did you mean, 'if it comes to it'? If what comes to _what_?" David asked.

"If we can't take the sniper down from here, he'll have to do whatever's necessary to keep him from escaping or contacting any reinforcements or friends he might have... even if it means taking his life."

David took a deep breath and said, "Never an easy choice..."

"Do you believe in Adonai, my friend?" Masterson asked.

"I do." David said, "And His Son, Yeshua."

The hint of a smile tugged at Masterson's face. _"__Thank you, my Lord, for this unexpected blessing."_He turned to look at the younger Lysis, "Baruch HaShem*! I do as well." he whispered as loudly as he dared. "You are a Christian, then?"

"I am – since my brother returned from the Bolar conflicts years ago."

"Then does your brother share your faith?" Talan asked.

"No... Dommel was never one to depend on anyone other than himself. He doesn't like it when I bring up religion of any sort to him..."

Masterson nodded, "I understand." he checked his weapon, making sure it was fully charged, then said, "Let's take out a sniper, shall we?"

David gave a curt nod. "Your friend should be in position by now."

"Oh," Masterson chuckled, "I think he was ready about half a minute after he left us."

"A quick one, is he?"

"Yes. And smarter than is good for him sometimes." Masterson reached out to rig the door as he had with all the other doors on the rooms he had broken into that night.

"Wait," David stopped him, "I have emergency access to this room. You don't have to do that."

Masterson stepped back and gladly let the other young man open the door. It flew open much too quickly for Masterson's comfort, but he was relieved to see that the bedroom was separate from the living area and that the window in this room had been closed so that no passers-by could look in.

"The computer doesn't talk for this room?" Masterson asked.

"Not for emergency entrance." David replied. "A precaution."

Talan nodded, then took the lead as the two crossed the space. Once there, he put his ear to the bedroom door, listening again.

More snoring.

"Can you open this one too?" he asked David.

In response, the younger Lysis tapped in a seven digit number, then placed his hand on the monitor for scanning.

The indicator light beside the panel changed from red to green and the door slid open, a bit more slowly than the first one, thankfully.

The two immediately dropped to the ground so as not to be seen by the sniper. The window in this room was open, facing the assassin and Masterson was sure that if the man had been looking at the door just then that he would have seen them. No shot came; they had gone unseen.

David and Masterson crawled across the floor, careful to remain below the sniper's line of sight, but weaving their way behind furniture just in case.

"I'll wake Elisa." David whispered, so quietly that Masterson could barely even hear him from a couple of feet away.

Masterson nodded and motioned for him to go ahead and do it.

David crept across the short distance between himself and the bed, careful to keep his weapon from scraping the floor. Any noise right now would cost them all very dearly.

After a small eternity he reached his sister-in-law's side of the bed – the one farthest away from the window.

"Elisa..." he whispered, trying to sound calm. "Elisa, you need to wake up."

Thankfully the woman's face was turned towards David so that he didn't have to talk quite as loudly to be heard.

"Hmmm?" she moaned, still asleep.

"Elisa." he said again, this time tapping her on the shoulder. He would have shaken her a little, but didn't dare do so with the sniper watching.

"Whaaa?" She was starting to come around.

"Are you awake?" he asked, his voice a bit more insistent.

"David." the woman's eyes cracked open and her brow furrowed in confusion, "What are you doing here? And why are you crawling on the floor?"

"Shhh." he cautioned with a finger to his lips. "Elisa, you have to be quiet."

"But why?" she asked.

"Promise me you'll do what I tell you." he said in a deadly serious tone.

"Of course." she whispered back, starting to understand that something was dreadfully amiss. Then she saw the rifle her brother-in-law was holding and all doubts vanished. Her green eyes began to brim with tears, "What's going on, David?"

"There's a sniper stationed outside; he's targeting someone in this room. We think it's Dommel."

The tears she was holding back started to roll down her cheeks. "I don't understand..."

"It's alright." David tried to reassure her. "We'll make sure nothing happens to any of you."

"'We'?" she finally caught the plural usage.

"Yes, me and our two guests." a mirthless smile spread across his face, "They're more than they appear to be, I think." he looked back at Masterson and nodded. "Can you wake Dommel without startling him? Move as slowly and as little possible."

"Alright." she whispered, fear very obviously in her face.

As Masterson watched, Elisa pushed through her terror, shut her eyes and pretended to shift in her sleep, her hand coming to rest right beside her husband's face. He was on his side facing her and his snoring had stopped.

Her eyes still closed, Elisa moved one finger lightly down the bridge of Dommel's nose. She did this several times until the sensation penetrated the man's sleep and his brain notified him that something was touching him.

One hand slowly came up to catch the finger and he opened his eyes to see his wife looking at him – not with a smile as he had expected – but with eyes closed and face grim.

"Elisa... are you awake...?" he asked, confused.

"Yes," she whispered, her mouth barely moving. "Come closer, but move very _very_slowly."

He didn't know what was going on, but he humored her, sliding across the foot or two that separated them. His face was now right beside hers and she could feel his breath on her tear-stained cheek.

Noticing the streaks on her face, her husband became concerned. "What's wrong...?"

Elisa opened one eye – the one she was sure the man outside would not see. "Someone's here to kill you..." she whispered. "They're outside right now, watching us..."

Dommel's eyes widened, "You have to get out of here." he whispered back.

"Not without you." she replied stubbornly.

"Dommel!" the younger Lysis interrupted the intimate conversation.

"David! What are you doing here?" he said as quietly as he could.

"Saving you." his brother replied from an undisclosed location on the floor on the other side of the bed. "When I tell you, take Elisa and get down here as fast as you can."

"Are you insane? She can't risk a fall right now!" Dommel said, agitated.

Elisa placed her hand on her husband's chest, careful not to move too quickly. "If I fall, I know you'll catch me." her one open eye looked into his two worried ones, and somehow, that one reassurance brought him the courage he needed to fight for the ones he loved.

"I never wanted to have to fight for my life again," he breathed so that only his wife could hear him, "but for your sake, and for my son's sake, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe." he leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead, "I love you, Elisa."

"Go!" came the command from David.

In a flash, Dommel vaulted over his wife, wrapped and arm around her, just above her pregnant belly and carried her with him to the floor, absorbing the hard fall and protecting his wife and unborn son from most of the impact.

Two crimson energy bolts tore through the air where they had just been, scorching the wall on the other side of the room.

David flew into action accompanied by Masterson. The teenager scrambled across the floor, taking refuge in the corner beside the window. David shifted the bed so that he could take up residence behind one of the now-angled corners.

"Stay here." Dommel instructed his wife. He rolled across the floor towards where he had stowed the rifle he used for hunting. Snatching it off its perch he stood up and in a bold move, ran back across the room, diving behind the bed where his wife was still huddled, curled protectively around her unborn child.

Dommel came up, aimed his rifle out the window looking in the direction the shot had come from. He didn't see anything, but another bolt whisked by his ear, so close he could feel the heat of it as it passed. He quickly ducked back down behind the bed.

Masterson, his vision enhancers still plastered across his face, stared out into the wet forest, looking for the would-be shooter. He looked and looked until – finally! – he spotted him. He was perched up in a tree, hiding in with several bushy branches. He was starting to re-aim his weapon.

Talan leveled his own gun, zeroing in on the hand holding the rifle. He squeezed off two bolts in quick succession. He thought he had succeeded, but at the last instant, the sniper moved, causing the bolts to ricochet off of the weapon instead of finding their way to the man's hand.

The bolts threw the assassin off balance, causing him to drop his weapon, but he recovered it before it fell out of the tree.

David and his brother, having spotted the sniper as a result of Masterson's shots, took aim and fired in tandem as another round came at them from the sniper.

Dommel grunted in pain and withdrew back behind the bed again, his left shoulder smoking from the bolt the sniper had just fired back at them. Wincing at the pain, he looked down at the burn mark, got a better hold on his weapon and lifted himself up once more to take down this new enemy.

"Get the rifle away from him!" Masterson ordered. "If we can keep him alive we can find out what this is all about."

The Lysis brothers agreed and continued firing into the tree, its leaves how showering the ground below.

All of a sudden, the sniper disappeared from Masterson's vision._"__Where did you go...?"_Without warning, a streak of red hit him right in the center of the chest and he blacked out.

Elisa screamed.

* * *

Desslok, unbeknownst to the sniper, was perched about twenty feet behind the man, staring into his back with malicious intensity. This guy was good – too good. Something about him wasn't right.

He would not move in on the sniper unless things started to go badly for those inside.

The prince watched silently as a bolt tore through the inn-keeper's shoulder. But he returned to the fray, looking pained, but far from being out of commission. The assassin hopped from this tree and into the next one over.

The prince followed.

Then the unthinkable happened: Masterson went down.

"_Nachash!*"_the unuttered yell echoed through his being, fueling some fire burning within him and forcing him to act.

Desslok charged the sniper, hitting him in the back with his shoulder.

The man scrambled to keep his balance and succeeded, but dropped his weapon in the process. He whirled to face this new attacker, whipping out a gun that couldn't have been any longer than four inches in length. He fired at the prince.

Instead of a bolt, a tiny explosive flew towards Desslok. If he had let his attention waver for the slightest fraction of a second, he would have been dead right then. But his hair-trigger reactions did not fail him. He twisted away at the last instant and the explosive flew by his face and embedded itself into the tree trunk thirty feet behind him, blowing away half of it and causing the rest of the treetop to crumple to one side, leaving the prince and his adversary completely exposed.

* * *

**Chapter 4 Notes:**

* Deuel – a Hebrew name meaning "known of Adonai"  
* Baruch HaShem – "Thank God"  
* Nachash – "snake" or "serpent"


	8. Chapter 5: The Scientist

**Chapter 5:The Scientist**

"It's hard to believe it's already been three days..." Dara looked over at Krenshaw from where she sat in a chair beside her daughter's bed.

"She's healing well." he said, coming over to look at the child's injury. "I'm glad it wasn't any worse. I could never have forgiven myself if I had been responsible for her death..."

Dara smiled at the scientist. "And _I'm_glad you were there when we needed help."

Garen pretended to adjust the single glass lens he wore over one eye. "Well... I..." he fumbled, his face getting a bit flushed. "I only did what any descent person would..."

"Then you're the only 'descent person' on this ship. That day I came to your door, no one else would help me... Too far beneath them I guess – helping a cargo attendant's daughter..."

"Helping another person should never be 'beneath' anyone..." he knelt down beside Constance's bed to look a little closer at the scabbed teeth marks. "Especially not one so innocent as this..." he looked at Dara, having gotten past his momentary embarrassment. "You've done well with her."

It was Dara's turn to blush, "Thank you..."

How did he do this to her – make her feel like she was worth something?

Dara cleared her throat and looked back at her sleeping child, "Well, thank you for coming again to look in on her. You've been more than kind to us both."

"I will always be glad to help you." he bowed his head to her in a show of respect that surprised the young mother.

"Please, Garen –" she raised a hand in protest.

"What?" he asked, catching the hand with his own, "Am I not allowed to show respect to whom I choose?"

Heat rose into her cheeks again at his sudden boldness, "Yes... Of course you are," she smiled shyly, "It's just – I – You are nothing like Constance's father..."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked, lightening the mood, but still holding onto her hand.

"It is the highest compliment I have to offer." she replied in all seriousness.

"Then I am grateful for your high estimation of me, though if we are able to... spend more time together, you may come to realize that I am far from perfect."

"So you _want_to spend more time with me – with us?" she glanced at her daughter then back at Garen.

"It would be my pleasure." he said.

"You... don't mind that I have a... less-than-savory past?" she tested.

"Why should that bother me?"

"And you aren't trying to sell me anything?" she threw in.

"No." he chuckled.

"So this isn't some sort of cruel joke...?" the tried one last time.

Garen Krenshaw looked straight into Dara's eyes – those wonderful, warm, green eyes of hers, "Never, in all my days, would I do such a thing to someone as wonderful as you..."

He seemed sincere. And she believed him.

The intercom box that had been installed in her small living space squawked, awakening Constance.

Garen and Dara quickly pulled their hands away from the other's an instant before the girl looked their way. But before she was able to say anything, the box trumpeted, "Dara! Got another job for ya!"

She stood up.

"What is it now, Malak?" the young woman replied, just a bit irritated at the interruption.

"Got a load'a frishka fruit here what needs repackin'. One'a the passengers decided to remove some of his cargo by himself last night and didn't secure it properly. Though why he'd wanna eat that stuff, I got no idea. It'll prob'ly take ya at least three hours to do. You got somebody ta watch that lil' princess a yours?"

Dara smiled at the knowledge that her boss might actually care about Connie – at least a little bit. Then she realized that she _didn't_have anyone to stay with her daughter... She looked back at the child thoughtfully.

Garen waved a hand to catch her attention. She looked at him, puzzled.

He pointed to himself and nodded at her.

"You don't have to do that," she whispered back to him, shaking her head.

"I want to. Go on now." he urged her.

"Yes, Malak. I have someone." she said to her boss.

"Alright. Come on down and get ta work then!"

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

The intercom went silent.

"I don't know how to thank you. Again." Dara smiled gratefully at the scientist.

"See Galera with me." He offered.

"What? Galera? But that's our next port of call. There'll be cargo t –"

Garen stood up and laid a silencing finger on her lips. "I'll take care of the cargo."

"Please, Amah, can we see it?" Constance's voice broke in.

Dara looked from Garen to her daughter and back again. She took a deep breath, "Well... I suppose." she relented. "But _you_" she looked back at Constance, "have to be completely well," then she looked at Garen, "and you have to promise that you'll work it out with Malak."

"I'll be well, Amah. I promise." the girl said with such sincerity that it made Dara want to laugh.

"And _I_promise it'll all be worked out." Garen reassured her again.

"Alright." Dara said, "I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I'm finished."

Constance wrinkled her nose, "You're gonna smell bad when you get back."

This time Dara did laugh, "I know Connie." then to Garen she said, "Do you think you can design a frishka fruit that _doesn't_stink?"

"Botany is not my forte."

* * *

"_Oh, why me?"_Dara thought to herself as she sifted through the smelly mound of fruit. Thankfully frishka fruit was very hard to bruise.

"_He could have called Rishnan to do this, but no, he had to get _me_to repack the stinky stuff."_Her inner grumbling rumbled along as she tossed fruit after fruit into their shipping containers. The stench was almost tangible. It was so bad that someone had closed the air vents in the cargo hold so that the odor didn't drift through the rest of the ship. That was great for everyone else, but it made her life just that much more miserable.

"_This stuff should be illegal!"_She continued her mental tirade. _"__Why does the universe hate me?"_

Then she turned her thoughts to Garen's offer and she smiled, remembering not to breathe in too deeply. _"__Galera... Home of the galaxy's most famous and beautiful landmark... Ya'ar Jeshurun*... the floating forest-city, whose many islands also happen to be upside-down."_Dara tossed more stinky produce back into their odor-proof prison. _"__Ah, well. At least Connie will get to see _something_of the galaxy."_she smiled to herself, but it disappeared again as she went on thinking, _"__Not like my childhood... which I can't even remember. And may she _never_have to endure the _tender mercies_of snakes like _Zordar_." _the poisonous name tasted bitter to her mind, the ever-present memories still plaguing her.

She hated him. He had taken her heart and broken it. He had given her a daughter, only to disown her. He had thrown her out like so much garbage.

"_If only she knew who she really is..."_Dara thought, _"__Eldest offspring of the Cometine crown-prince – true heir to his empire when he finally inherits it."_she sighed, then coughed as she inhaled the reek. _"__Life is too full of 'if only's'..." _she wiped the stench-induced tears from her eyes with the back of one hand.

"_Malak had better be glad my contract doesn't have a 'refusal to deal with excessive odors' clause."_she coughed again, almost gagging on the smell. _"__But when my contract's up, I am _definitely_adding one."_

* * *

"Amah likes you, you know." said Constance, looking up at the man she had become friends with over the past few days.

Garen looked at the child, "And how do you know that?"

"She's _my_Amah. I'm _supposed_to know." said the child. Her attempt at sounding like an adult made the scientist smile.

"So what do you do for fun around here?" he changed the subject.

"Amah and I usually just play games and talk." she replied, hauling out an older model holographic game board and setting it on her lap. "You wanna play something?"

Garen pulled up a chair next to her bed. "Sure. But if you pick something I don't know, you'll have to teach me how to play."

"Of course!" the girl said gleefully, turning on the board.

A surprisingly new interface materialized in front of Constance and she chose a game that she thought her supervisor might have at least seen before.

"You know this one?" she asked as two sets of fourteen tiles appeared, one facing him, the other facing her.

On the tiles were the numbers one to thirteen There were four different colors represented: blue, black, red, and yellow.

"I think so..." he thought for a moment. "You need a score of thirty to start, right? Runs and sets: minimum of three tiles per run or set?"

"Yep." came the answer. "You gonna move?"

Garen laughed, "Just because I'm an astrophysicist doesn't mean I'm good with number games. Do I have a time limit?"

"Thirty seconds." the girl replied. "House rule."

"Ah."

"So, are you gonna move?"

"When I can figure out what I have." he said.

"Oh. Yeah, I forgot."

"Forgot what?" the scientist asked absently, staring at his tiles.

"That playing this with a man would take longer."

"Wait. What?" he looked up from his tiles.

Constance laughed. "This is a girl-friendly game."

"How so?"

"It requires _multitasking._" the way she said it – like multitasking was a big, bad, fangs-bared monster on the loose made him laugh again.

"So you think men can't multi-task?"

"Not usually." she quipped.

"Well, we'll see about that." he replied, determined to prove this eleven-year-old wrong.

An hour later he still had eight tiles left and she was putting down her last one.

"Now why didn't _I_think of that?" he said as he watched her move.

She smirked back. "You wanna try it again?"

"Definitely." he said. "But I have a question."

"What?"

"How do you do keep track of all that re-arranging...?"

She imitated an evil cackle, "You'll never know."

He liked this kid. Life had been cruel to her, yet here she sat, laughing in childish mischief.

"Constance..." he asked, more seriously.

"Yes?" she looked over at him, sensing the mood change.

"I need to talk to you about something very important."

"Okaaaay." she looked at him suspiciously, "Am I in trouble or something?"

"No," he reassured, "nothing like that."

"Oh. Okay then." she said, returning to her carefree state.

"Do you remember anything about your father...?"

"Oh, you wanna know about _him_. Why didn't you just say so to begin with?"

"I guess I didn't know that was an option." he said, feeling a bit awkward.

"Well, Amah doesn't like to talk about him much, and I didn't really see him a lot when we lived with him, but I remember his girlfriend. She was the meanest person I've ever met!" the girl folded her arms over her chest and made a sour expression. "I don't think she liked Amah and me very much. I don't even know why Aba liked her at all. I mean, just because she was pretty and all, and –"

"Wait," Garen stopped her, "what girlfriend?"

"Jarena." Constance rolled her eyes, "_I_called her 'the witch,' but Amah said that wasn't nice so I never really said it to her or anything."

"Was she like your mother?"

Constance gave him an almost condescending look.

"I mean, did she_look_like your mother? Have her skin-tone? Speak her language? Anything like that?"

The girl shrugged, "Dunno about the language thing. But she had peachish colored skin – like mine. And she had really dark black hair."

Garen nodded, "So, was there anyone else there who looked at all like your mother?"

"No, I don't think... Well, I don't really know." the girl placed a thoughtful finger on her lower lip. "There was someone who visited us once. I'm not sure how old she was, but her hair was like mine," she ran her fingers through her auburn-brown hair, "and so was her skin."

Garen raised an eyebrow, intrigued, "Do you remember her name? Where she came from?"

"No..." the girl sighed, "You might be able to ask Amah about that though."

"I'll do that." the scientist nodded.

"But anyway. Aba was... I guess the best way I know how to describe him is... odd."

"In what way?"

"It was... like he didn't know what he wanted – and I don't just mean which woman he wanted. We traveled the galaxies with him and he conquered a whole bunch of places for his empire, but he was never satisfied with any of it."

Alarm bells began clanging in Krenshaw's military mind. "He had an empire?"

"Uh huh." Constance nodded. "I never really got to see it though. We were always stuck on the ship. It had a funny name. _Gal – Galt – Gatlantis_!"

Now the sirens were blaring loudly. This little girl was the daughter of one of the Cometine princes. But there were two... He took a chance and said, "Your father's name... Was it 'Zordar' by any chance?"

"Yep. That's his name. But please, don't tell Amah I told you." a slightly guilty look passed over her face, "She told me I couldn't tell anyone," then she brightened a little, "but I don't think she meant I couldn't tell _you_."

Garen swallowed the dread rising in his throat and said, "Well, shall we start that rematch now?"

"Sure!" Constance readily agreed and started the game over.

This time the match went a bit more slowly as Garen wrestled with his shaken reality. This woman – Dara – who he found that he liked very much, was the former mistress to the most hated despot he had ever heard of. No wonder she was bitter... Who wouldn't be? So this was what she had meant by "a less-than savory past."

* * *

"_Why didn't she just tell me..?"_Garen thought to himself hours later as he sat alone in his suite. He was supposed to be looking over some figures for his newest assignment, but every time he started looking through the numbers his thoughts jumbled into an unintelligible ball of fluff.

"_I would have understood..."_he thought, gazing out the small viewport on the other side of the room. He could see the distant star that was Galera's sun._"__She couldn't control what _Zordar_did_, _and it certainly wasn't Constance's fault that any of it happened: the terror his father rained on Iscandar all those years ago, the dozens of worlds that have fallen to the Cometines in the past hundred years, the threats that were made against my _own_homeworld..."_he sighed and looked back at his work, vainly trying one more time to accomplish something tonight before he went to sleep.

"_If we hadn't built ourselves up against them we would all be slaves by now."_he thought, remembering the tales he had heard of the Gamilon-Iscandari war with the Cometine forces during his father's time. _"__At least now we know how to repair a ravaged world..."_

"Incoming call." announced his personal communicator.

He dug it out of his pocket and set it down beside the computer he was using. He looked at the credentials of the caller and stood up from his seat. "Accept the call."

"Lieutenant Krenshaw."

"Admiral Talan," he saluted his superior officer.

"None of that, Garen." the admiral said, "This isn't an 'official' call."

"Yes, sir." he let his arm fall back to his side and sat back down in front of the image. "What may I do for you then?"

"I have some things to tell you about that you may not like hearing."

"'Things,' sir?"

You've been away a long time, Krenshaw." said the Admiral. "You should be prepared for some of the... changes... that have _recently_occurred here."

"Changes? What could have changed so much that you have to warn me about it before I even reenter the solar system?"

"Leader Deun has been deposed. As far as we know... he is dead."

"What?!" the shock was evident on the Lieutenant's face. "But – but how? Who?"

"His own firstborn son..."

"But he would have inherited the throne. Why do this?"

"It was not the throne he wanted so much as the power that would come with it. He made a deal... with the zealots."

Garen's face turned ashen, "The shêd-weilders..." he whispered, dread washing over him. "What possessed him to do such a thing?"

"That I'm afraid I don't know." Talan replied. "But as a result of his play for power, he went after his brother and sought to take his life."

"But that makes no sense. His brother is no threat to him."

"Not under normal circumstances." the admiral said ominously, "But because of his treachery he was disinherited. His younger brother is now the rightful heir to the throne."

"Why don't the people overthrow this usurper? Put the younger brother on the throne?" asked Garen.

"Because they don't know he's a usurper... And even if they did, they fear the Guardiana followers too much to revolt."

This silenced Krenshaw. The lieutenant looked down, a cloud of sadness covering his face.

"We need you, Garen."

His superior's words confused him and he looked up again to find Admiral Talan staring at him.

"'We', sir?"

"My son Masterson took the younger prince, Desslok, before his brother could kill him. Our hope for a resolution to the terror that Deun the usurper will bring lies with my son and his charge.

"I ask you now, not as your commanding officer, but as your friend. Do not return to the palace if you wish to see the rightful heir sit again on the throne of Gamilon."

"What am I to do then, Raymond?" he addressed the man more personally now that the nature of the conversation had clearly shifted.

"Go to the home of a woman named Eliora. She will tell you what to do. I will send you the information on how to find her as soon as there is another outgoing transmission to tag it onto. But in the mean time, trust no one you do not already know. Do not divert from your planned schedule. Stop at every port of call between Galera and the Gamilon-Iscandari orbit, but stay aboard ship as much as possible. If somehow Deun is alerted to your return he will find you and have you watched, so wherever you go, disguise yourself as best as you can."

"Of course, my friend." said Krenshaw.

"I must go. If I stay any longer I will be discovered. You will hear from me again, Garen." Talan bowed his head to the lieutenant, "May the true Leader come to power once again." then he saluted – but not with the usual raised hand. Instead the admiral brought his hand up to his forehead for a few seconds before letting it drop again.

It was a foreign gesture to Garen, but he replied in kind.

"May Adonai go with you." said Admiral Talan. "And may He preserve us all from the terror that is to come."

"May it be so." replied Krenshaw.

With that the call was ended and the scientist sat staring at the communicator, wondering if that whole conversation had really just happened. It was almost too bizarre to believe. Leader Deun dead... killed by his son... the youngest child appointed heir in his stead... young Masterson assigned to guard the true heir-apparent...

He was tempted to pinch himself, but he knew in his heart that this was no dream that he could awaken from.

This was reality. Cold, hard reality, from which he could never escape.

Then he remembered his offer to Dara and his heart sank lower than it already was. How could he endanger her by taking her and Constance with him anywhere?

Then the thought occurred to him that if somehow young Deun's people discovered where he was they would only be looking for one man – not a man, a woman, and a child.

Dara and Constance were the best cover he could ever ask for. But how to tell them...

* * *

**Chapter 5 Notes:**

* Ya'ar Jeshurun: literally "forest of uprightness," "Jeshurun" could also potentially be a reference to Israel


	9. Chapter 6: The Councilor

**Chapter 6: The Councilor**

"Starsha," Adrianna's leaves rustled as she spoke to the princess from the other side of the room, "You've seemed troubled about something for the past three days – ever since that party. What is it?"

Starsha was silent for a couple of moments before she finally turned and said, "I just don't understand..."

"Don't understand what, princess?"

"What I'm supposed to do; who I'm supposed to be." Starsha replied.

"You are the royal princess of Iscandar. You are to be Regent when your sister ascends to the throne in the coming years. You –"

"No Adrianna." she interrupted, "I know _what _I'm supposed to be." she sighed heavily, "I've never had any reason to question that. But _who _am I supposed to be?"

"You are a child of Adonai Himself, mistress." replied Adrianna. "He will not fail to show you the way in which you should walk. Trust Him. He knows who you are and who you will become."

The princess sighed again, "I know... I know." she looked up at the leaves hanging out from Adrianna's pot. "I can see the end – the day we all will be with Adonai, but it is the time between now and then..." she let her sentence trail off.

"As it is with us all, princess." Adrianna replied. "We must entrust ourselves and our futures into the hands of the One who formed this universe – the One who knows the end from the beginning." then she added, "and everything in between."

The princess stood quietly, thinking about what her friend had just said. "I know..." she repeated. "But it is not the knowing that is so difficult; it is the trusting that is challenging at times..."

"Yes, Starsha, I know it is." said Adrianna. "And I also know that there is something else bothering you – something more specific perhaps? Would you like to talk about it?" she asked gently.

"No, not now." Starsha replied, fingering the pendant she wore. "I think I'll go for a walk."

"Very well, mistress." the plant replied and rustled a farewell with her leaves. "Have a pleasant time."

"Thank you, Adrianna." Starsha said to her friend as she stepped out the door of her apartment and into the palace halls.

Everything was lit by the afternoon sun at this hour. The brilliant red-golden light fell on everything, illuminating halls that would have otherwise been a bit dim. Everything looked as though it was alive. The only darkness that could be seen had been chased into sharp corners under furniture or beneath windowsills, trapped until the sun sank a bit lower in the western sky.

As Starsha walked through the all-encompassing light she thought about the conversation she and her sister had had with the new Leader Deun II of Gamilon.

The thought made her shiver again. The look in the young man's eyes had frightened her like nothing else ever had before. It was as if there was something evil deep down in his soul that was trying to devour her. And that Regent of his – Yeshin he had said his name was – was little better.

"_At least I know that Mother and Father won't be accepting any marriage propositions from him."_she thought with a tiny bit of short-lived relief. _"__All the good that'll do though."_The anxiety returned in full force as she remembered that picture again – that strange painting that would not leave her memory no matter how hard she tried to expunge it.

Questions roared through her mind, crashing around, trying to understand what was going on: trying to discern what was reality and what was not.

Starsha walked without thinking through hall after empty hall. After twenty minutes of seeing no one she turned around to head back to her apartment and to Adrianna, but upon passing a particular doorway something within her urged her to stop. She obeyed.

The princess entered the lonely room and, through the afternoon light saw again the simple elegance of the room she had been in three days earlier with her sister and mother and the many guests who had come for the birthday celebration.

Unlike three days ago, columns of light poured through the skylights that surrounded the center of the ceiling, creating a ring of brilliance around the middle of the roof. The bright circle seemed to call to her, bidding her to come and look once again at the sight she had dared not return to since seeing the face of Deun.

But an odd urge continued to grow within her, compelling her to heed the call of the ring of light. She walked slowly across the bare marble floor, dreading what would meet her gaze when she finally decided to turn her eyes upward.

She finally reached the center of the circle. Staring down at her feet, she realized that this was not just a circle of light. The skylights were positioned so that the brightness coming down from the sky surrounded what looked like some sort of seal graven into the floor. There was an inscription imprinted in the marble just under her feet and she stepped back a bit to view the whole thing.

It read, "hn 'eal-kiapiaym, haqityk; hvmtayk ngdiy, tiamyd." (Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me.)*

"_I don't remember seeing this before.."_she ran her shoed foot over the engraved characters, but she felt no dips in the floor where the chisel marks were. Upon a closer examination she discovered that the indentations had been filled in with a clear sealant to prevent damage to both the words and the feet of those who might trip on them.

"_But why was it put here, beneath that picture? Was it made before or after the mural? Is there even any correlation between the two...?" _she asked herself.

"_No." _she decided. _"__It has to be a coincidence." _she brushed it off.

Continuing to avoid the image hovering over her, she studied the workmanship of the words beneath her feet. Every character was perfect. There was not a single malformation in them – almost as if a machine had done the work.

However, that possibility was thrown to the wind when she walked the circumference of the circle and noticed the tiny, neat signature of the artisan who had inscribed the words. It was a name she didn't recognize, but underneath the signature was a notation: "These words, written by Isaiah, the prophet of Adonai, were graven here to remind all who gaze upon them that the Creator of this vast universe knew _you_before Time itself began, and He has a purpose prepared for you."

With the reading of those words some light that had been darkened within her spirit reignited in Starsha and with it returned her courage. She finally lifted her face towards the image that had haunted her these three days.

There it was, her own face and the face of the young man.

"_Is this Your plan for me...?" _she prayed, _"__To reach out to our sister-world – to this new Leader?"_

"You okay?"

Starsha jumped. "Father!" she exclaimed, quickly jerking her head away from the picture, then continuing more calmly, "You startled me."

He chuckled, "I noticed. You didn't get enough of this room the other day?"

"Oh." she looked around, trying to think of what to say that wouldn't betray her inner dialog. "Have you ever seen this?" she pointed downward to the words on the floor.

"Many times," King Alexander crossed the room to where his middle daughter stood. "I come here sometimes to read them again – not that I couldn't just read them out of Isaiah's writings, but there has always been something about this place..."

"That's what Mother said..." Starsha replied quietly.

Alexander stepped into the circle of light with Starsha, joining her in in her study of the floor.

"When did you find out about what happened to the former Leader?" the princess asked.

"The night before your birthday." her father replied, "We thought it might be better to tell you what was going on after the celebration was over – no dark shadows to spoil the day for you and your sister."

Starsha nodded, "I understand." then she hesitated, unsure about whether or not she should continue.

"Care to share?" Alexander asked, seeing the torn look in his daughter's eyes.

With a sigh she continued, "Did Astra tell you about that call?"

Alexander nodded, "It sounds like the new Deun is a bit different from the old one. His father would have never behaved the way his son did." he looked at Starsha, "And, rest assured, unless some drastic changes take place, we won't be accepting any marriage proposals from him. You're too young anyway and so is he."

The princess let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A comfortable silence fell between father and daughter as they continued looking at the floor for a moment before Alexander said, "Well, your mother and I have a meeting with the Galerans in fifteen minutes. I suppose I should be on time for it." he smiled.

"I suppose." his daughter replied. "Do you think Adrianna, Bahn or Silesia would like to join you? Ya'ar Jeshurun _is_their home after all."

"I'll ask them. Perhaps they'll do most of the talking so we won't have to."

"I thought you liked talking with strangers."

He shrugged, "I'm a king. Kings are expected to do such things. I do enjoy the conversation, but sometimes it is nice to just let someone else take the floor for a while."

Starsha nodded and smirked, "I can see your point."

"I must go." her father said, turning to leave, "But Starsha."

She looked at her father inquisitively, "Yes?"

"Don't try to figure out your whole life in one sitting, okay."

"Only half of it, I promise." she joked.

He nodded and left the room, leaving her to her thoughts once again.

Now unobserved, she turned her eyes upward again and stared into the face she had seen seventy-two hours before.

* * *

"Adrianna," said the tall, azure-skinned, older Galeran man when he saw the Jeshurunian plants being carried into the meeting room, "and Silesia!"

"Israel Kotlar." said Adrianna. "It is so good to see you again, old friend. When King Alexander said that you were here and that we Jeshurunians were welcome to come to this meeting, Silesia and I were more than happy to be here."

"Hello, Israel." echoed Silesia.

"Where is Bahn? I thought he would have accompanied you." Israel said.

"He would have, but he is conducting some important business elsewhere at the moment. He will join us when he is through." replied Silesia.

"Wonderful!" replied Kotlar, "It brings me great joy to be in the presence of such unique creatures as the Jeshurunians once again."

"The pleasure is ours as well, representative." said King Alexander, "We thank you for bringing them to us. They have been truly refreshing to have here on Iscandar."

"Indeed," said Queen Kara. "It is an honor to have them."

"And we are most happy to dwell here with you, my Queen." said Adrianna.

"Where would you like to be placed?" the queen asked the Jeshurunians.

"The end table will suit us just fine, Majesty." replied Adrianna, and Silesia rustled her leaves in agreement.

"We are not too picky." Silesia said, a bit of humor in her voice.

The servants who had brought the plants in set them down carefully on the table that had been indicated. The plants thanked their bearers and the servants left to complete whatever other chores were on their agendas for the day.

"I have always liked Iscandarian conference rooms." Adrianna commented to no one in particular. "They always seem so open and friendly. No gigantic table to plan wars; no dark curtains to draw over the windows so that others may not see in; no servants standing at our beck and call to send word that 'the politicians' have decided to make the citizens' lives more difficult; just a circle of comfortable chairs to be occupied by mutual friends."

"Indeed." agreed Silesia.

"And confidants," added Israel a bit ominously.

"And confidants." echoed Adrianna. "How are things on Galera, Israel?"

"The planet itself is thriving as it always has been. The people still work and live as they have for a long time – though perhaps with more sophisticated technology than they once had. Ya'ar Jeshurun thrives and is visited by millions each year. We accept thousands of immigrants every month – sometimes every day – from the Bolar colonies, Cometine space, and other outlying worlds. All in all, it is a pleasant, profitable community, but of course, there are always those who seek to thwart peace." Kotlar paused.

"Oh no..." said Adrianna, "there haven't been more incidents with the insurgents, have there?"

"No, thankfully not. Many of them have gotten tired of being thrown in prison and have left Galera to find new places to cause trouble." the representative replied.

"That is a relief." said Silesia.

"I thought you would be accompanied by at least two others, Representative Kotlar." said Alexander inquisitively.

The Galeran suddenly looked like a rebuked puppy, "They... were not able to come, Sire."

"I assume there was a particular reason for their... inability to accompany you?" said Kara.

"You are perceptive, my Queen." said Israel, his eyes darkening and his face clouding with anxiety.

"You seem concerned, Kotlar." the king dropped the title upon seeing the other man's distress.

"As I should be, Sire." he replied, sitting down in one of the many chairs that had been arranged around the loose circle, the king and queen copying his gesture. "There are things happening on our throne world of Gamilon that we have no control over – things that we are very much concerned about," he continued in a lower tone of voice, "things that must never reach the ears of our new Leader."

The Iscandarian looked sidelong at the Galeran.

"It is... something... difficult to explain." Kotlar faltered, "But it is vital that you hear me – more vital than you will ever know."

"You are not here officially, are you, Israel?" said Adrianna quietly.

"No... I'm not." he replied. "And if the Leader or his 'Regent' discovered why I am here it would cost me my life."

"I'm listening." Alexander leaned forward to hear everything the representative had to say.

"About six hours ago, during my transit here to Iscandar I received a message from Gamilon, but it was not from the palace or the government. The only identification mark that was on it was a signature line that read, 'The Light of Adonai will guide you.'"

"Is there something significant about that?" the king asked, not understanding.

"Not in and of itself, no. And if I had not been involved in the war we Galerans call, the 'War of Rea Atid*' I would have seen no significance in it either." Israel chuckled to himself, "It was the perfect signal to any and all who were meant to understand it."

"Would you care to enlighten us?" Alexander asked.

"Oh, yes of course. That is why I have come." Kotlar bowed his head for a moment, took a deep breath, then continued, "The 'Light of Adonai' is not literally the guiding light of the Almighty. It refers instead to a woman a number of we veterans of Rea Atid knew. She was a close friend to our beloved Queen Talonka before her death and she seemed to disappear after the queen's passing." Israel sighed again, more out of the heaviness of the subject than out of nervousness, "This woman was once a servant in the palace on Gamilon many years ago, then she was promoted. No one ever knew what department she was transferred to, and now, no one can find out; the records have been sealed by someone with either the authority of the Leader, or the hacking skills of a genius."

"When were they sealed?" Kara asked.

"Four days ago." replied Israel, a strange look in his eyes.

"The day Leader Deun's health reportedly declined." said Alexander thoughtfully. "You think it was not a coincidence?"

"I _know _it wasn't." the Galeran intoned. "Those records should have been reopened by the new Leader, his son Deun."

"But they weren't." filled in Alexander.

"No, indeed. In fact, they were further encrypted – so much so that only the one or ones who did it can decrypt them again." replied Israel.

"What would this... woman... have to hide?" asked Kara.

"It was not the woman who encrypted the files, Majesty." Israel replied. "It was a Mossad agent, aided by one other person whose identity we we can only guess at this point."

"Mossad?" Adrianna and Silesia whispered to each other with twin rustles of surprise.

"Yes, my friends." Israel said to the Jeshurunians. "There is no question about the involvement of at least one member of covert operations."

"How do you know this...?" Adrianna asked.

"In addition to the signature line, there was a number written at the end of the message I – and others – received, '71612*.'" Said Kotlar.

"But that could be anything." said Alexander, "What makes you so certain it's a Mossad ID?"

"Because I know the agent, Sire."

"You know this '71612'?" asked Kara, still unsure that Kotlar had read this strange message correctly.

"Very well, my Queen. He is one of the best." the Galeran replied. "If he is dealing with this... problem... then there is something truly amiss on our homeworld. Seeing his number at the end of this message means that there are dark days ahead of us all..."

"Who is this man? Why have we never heard of him?" asked Alexander.

"His existence is known only to those in and connected to Mossad – or to the agent's father, my good friend, Admiral Raymond Talan."

"But –" The Iscandarian king's brow furrowed, "But – the Admiral only has one child... scarcely two years older than my own daughters, Starsha and Astra."

"Indeed." replied Kotlar with a bitter smile, "For reasons unknown to anyone outside the palace, the Admiral's son was appointed an agent of Mossad almost six years ago. He may _appear_ young and naïve at times, but he is far from incompetent."

"How did he come to be in their service?" asked the king.

"I have asked everyone I trust and none of them have an answer. Only the Admiral seems to know, and he is unwilling to tell me..." the Galeran said thoughtfully, "But, in any case, this message implies that all is not as it seems with the new Leader." A strange look crossed Israel's face, "It implies that there may have been... foul play involved in the recent demise of the former Leader Deun and the rise of the new one."

The monarchs carefully hid their shock, but their dismay was clearly seen in their eyes.

"If that is true," said Alexander, lowering his voice even more, "Then the crown would no longer be Deun's..."

"Yes." said Israel, "It would pass to the nearest of kin."

"But who would that be?" Kara questioned.

Kotlar took a deep breath, then ventured on, the light of hope spreading over his face, "There are rumors." he said, "Rumors that Deun was not the only son born to Leader Deun and Queen Talonka."

"A brother?" Kara asked, the reality of the implication making her heart rise as well.

"It is yet unconfirmed." Israel whispered, "But if it is true, and there was indeed treachery involved in Deun's ascent to the throne..."

"Then we must see that the true king again sits on the the throne of Gamilon." finished Alexander. "How can we help?"

"First, we must confirm or deny those two key rumors: Deun's treachery, and the existence of another heir." said Kotlar, "If there is any way you can find out for sure, it would be invaluable to us."

The king looked at his wife and she silently gave him her whole-hearted support. "We will do everything we can to help you. Where should we start?"

"Find the 'Light of Adonai.' Her name is Eliora. She will be your eyes and ears on Gamilon." Kotlar chuckled again, "After all, since her records were sealed, she practically doesn't exist. She can move about at will."

Alexander held out his arm to the Galeran. Israel grasped the king's forearm and Alexander gripped his in return, saying, "May Adonai be with us all."

* * *

**Chapter 6 Notes:**  
* Isaiah 49: 16  
* Rea Atid – literal translation is "bad future"  
* 71612 – A reference to the Epilogue from the previous book, _The Guardiana_; Masterson Talan's Mossad ID number


	10. Chapter 7: The Assassin

**Chapter 7: The Assassin**

The rain started to beat down harder as Desslok instinctively twisted out of the way, avoiding splintered branches and other debris raining down from the explosion that had shattered the tree behind him. By some miracle, he kept his footing on the slippery branch. So did the assassin.

Almost as soon as the prince turned back around towards the other man, he had to duck out of the way as a set of iron knuckles whooshed past his head, nearly cracking his skull.

He dropped to his knees, dug his fingers into the bark and swung one leg out to knock the assassin's feet out from under him. He couldn't tell whether or not the man was following his movements, the black, visored helmet covering his opponent's head obscured his vision. The prince got his answer when the assassin avoided his sweep handily with an effortless backflip.

"_Not so clumsy now, I see."_Desslok thought icily before declaring, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but if _anyone_in that room – especially the one you just shot – dies because of you, I will kill you myself."

The assassin replied with a calculated flick of his wrist, sending a knife whizzing towards the prince's forehead.

Desslok flipped himself under the branch just in time to hear the thunk of the blade embedding itself in the wood above him.

He used his momentum to swing back up onto the branch; he landed on his feet, and quicker than the shooter could have anticipated he darted in and landed a solid punch to the assassin's gut before quickly flipping the visor of the helmet up with the other hand so that he could see who was trying to kill them.

Staggering backwards with the force of the blow and the distress of having the air knocked from his lungs, the other man fell, landing on his back. He started to slip off the branch, but he managed to grab hold of a smaller limb before he plummeted out of the tree and joined his weapon, now sinking in the swampy undergrowth below.

"Who are you?" the prince stood above the dangling mercenary, staring down into the soulless black eyes, one half-covered by the man's medium brown hair.

The assassin stared back at him blankly.

"Who _are_you?!" the prince bellowed into the other man's face.

The shout echoed through the night, causing whatever creatures of the darkness that had dared to return to the area to fall into silence again.

The assassin's face remained unchanged; not even a hint of any sort of emotion crossed his features.

"Who sent you?" the prince tried again, this time pointing his weapon at the man.

The glinting of silver in the moonlit rain shower caused Desslok to react without thinking. Not even one syllable had escaped the assassin's mouth before the prince shot the amulet out of the mercenary's hand. It made a thick plopping sound as it hit the soggy ground far below.

The prince shook his head and said coldly, "Nice try, but I've seen that before too many times. Calling dark spirits to do your work for you is not an option."

Without warning, the mercenary flipped his body up through the air and landed on the thicker end of the tree branch, once more battle-ready.

The prince rolled his eyes. "You seem to have forgotten that _I_have the upper-hand here." he used his weapon to shoo the assassin backward, toward the trunk of the tree. The man took three steps backward and stopped.

The prince, unhappy with the minimal progress, leveled his weapon at the man's head and said coldly, "Now, let's try this again, shall we. Who are you?"

The assassin looked at the prince, then at the weapon and something seemed to click in his brain.

"_Finally."_thought Desslok, _"__An answer."_

"I serve the Malha Guardiana* and those of her blood; she will bring peace –"

"No." the prince shook his head and held up his unoccupied hand to silence the other man. The irony of his words made Desslok angry, "The Malha's line was broken years ago. And if you truly served those of her bloodline, this planet would _never_have gone through Rea Atid*, _or_the Marad.*"

"We do what the Malha commands. She knows what is best." the assassin continued, unphased and expressionless.

"The Malha is dead!" the prince raised his voice in his anger, trying to elicit _something_, some sort of emotional response from his opponent, anything that would betray a weakness, or cause a momentary lapse of concentration.

"As long as we who believe in her live, she will as well." came the steady reply. "She will return to us when the time is right."

"You are either an idiot, or there is something severely lacking in your mental capacity." the prince replied, his tone returning to ice.

"The Malha will return." the assassin said again.

"I don't care." said Desslok. "Start climbing." he motioned to the tree trunk with his gun hand.

The assassin, surprisingly, started the downward journey without protest.

The prince watched him descend, a look of suspicion spreading over his face one again. Perhaps this man _was_merely a well-trained idiot.

He started down after the now-weaponless killer, making sure to keep one eye on the other man at all times. It was an awkward trip down, but both of them made it to the ground in one piece.

Once his feet were on the ground the assassin moved to flip his visor down over his face.

"Leave it up." Desslok ordered.

The mercenary's hand dropped back to his side and he made no further move to re-cover his face.

"Walk." the prince growled, motioning towards the inn.

The assassin started to take a step in the indicated direction.

"Watch your footing." Desslok said and the assassin adjusted where he put his foot, avoiding a soft patch of ground.

The rain was still falling lightly as the two trekked the hundred odd feet to the inn door, the prince's weapon trained on the mercenary's back the whole time, ready to shoot if he had to.

They reached the door, but just before they slipped through the opening, the prince leaned forward and said in a low voice, "I meant what I said; if the one you shot down dies because of you, I _will_kill you."

The assassin made no reply. He didn't even acknowledge that he had heard Desslok. This made the prince even more angry.

"Move." Desslok seethed, indicating that the other man was supposed to go into the building now.

The mercenary obeyed silently.

The first person they saw upon re-entering the inn was David. He looked stressed from the encounter, but otherwise intact.

The younger Lysis looked from the teenager to his prisoner and nodded, "I'm sure Dommel will want to talk to him."

Desslok nodded to David and nudged the assassin forward with the muzzle of his gun.

The man walked in the correct direction, still showing no emotion.

The two walked through the Lysis's suite and into the disheveled bedroom, followed by David. Dommel was just helping Elisa up from the floor when they entered

Desslok's eyes swept around the room looking for the fallen Masterson.

"Watch him." the prince ordered David, pointing to the assassin.

Not knowing what else to do, the younger Lysis nodded and pointed his rifle at the prisoner.

"Masterson." the prince fell to his knees beside his only friend, dread rising in him as he took in the ugly scorch mark that marred Talan's chest. He placed one hand just above the laser burn, waiting to feel the rise and fall that would tell him that Talan was still alive.

There was nothing.

The prince moved his hand to Masterson's neck to check for a pulse, but as soon as his fingers touched Talan's skin, the young man's eyes flew open, "You should stay out of the rain for a while, sir. Your hands are freezing."

A wave of relief washed over the prince and for once he actually smiled. "How...?"

Careful not to show those on the other side of the room, Masterson peeled back his burned shirt to reveal an armored chest plate fitted to his torso. "The hit knocked me over; I blacked out because I crashed into the wall on the way down."

Desslok shook his head, "I should have known not to wor –" he cleared his throat to cover his near-blunder, "be concerned."

Masterson put his shirt back together as best as he could to hide his protective covering. No random teenager owned such a thing and if he was caught wearing it, there would be questions he couldn't answer.

The prince stood up and, uncharacteristically, offered Masterson a helping hand. Talan took it and the prince hauled his friend to his feet.

"You should put your other glove back on, Sir. They may begin to wonder why you've switched to wearing only one." said Talan quietly.

The prince reluctantly fished the other glove out of a pocket and quickly slipped it on.

That small matter taken care of, the admiral's son brushed himself off and walked over to David and the prisoner. "So, this was our trouble-maker?" said Masterson, studying the older, taller assassin.

"Yes." Desslok said flatly, staring into the cold, dull eyes of the mercenary.

"Dommel," David called his brother over to look at the man who had been sent to kill him. "this is hi –"

"Wolf?" Elisa pushed past her husband who had only turned around far enough to see the prisoner through his peripheral vision, "Wolf?!" she cried, running to him and slipping the helmet off of the man's sweat and rain drenched head, "What have they done to you?"

The assassin looked blankly at the weeping woman, then something in his eyes began to spark and a bit of life flowed back into them. "E... lisa..." he mumbled very slowly, as if his mind was reaching out for the name, but didn't quite know if he had found it yet.

"Yes!" the woman said, her tears streaming down her face.

The assassin looked at the inn-keeper, eyes still clouded, but ever so slowly clearing, "Domm...el..."

"Oh... Frakken..." Dommel shook his head slowly, not believing what he was seeing. "They threw a veil over your mind and programmed you, didn't they...?"

The prisoner, Wolf, shook his head to try to clear away more of the fog. He blinked his eyes furiously and used one hand to try to wipe away the mist.

"You know this man?" Masterson looked at Dommel, Elisa, and the assassin in disbelief.

"He and I served aboard _Nepheshel Gamilon_* together during Rea Atid. We were there... the day she was sabotaged..." Dommel covered his face with his hand as the weight of that awful day in history fell on him again combined with the horror of what had happened to his old friend came crashing down.

Images of the terror they had all gone through – the firefights, the enemy soldiers descending on them in a sea of death, the capture and killing of the Queen, the fight to survive and escape that nightmare planet – it all came back to him in one horrific wave.

"Sh – sh – shêdim –" Frakken's eyes suddenly went wild and he began twitching and stuttering uncontrollably, "Sh – sh – sh –" then he blacked out, and he would have hit the floor had David not caught him in time.

"Dommel!" Elisa exclaimed, throwing her husband back into the present. "He's trying to break free of them!"

"Put him down," Dommel ordered his brother, rushing over to his wife's side and pulling her away from Wolf, "You don't want to be near him."

"What is he doing?" The younger Lysis asked.

"He's fighting for his soul..." said Masterson, stepping towards the man.

"Don't –" Dommel tried to pull Talan back, but the admiral's son evaded the grasping hand easily and went to kneel beside the possessed saying, "He won't be able to do it alone."

Placing a hand on the other man's forehead, Masterson began to pray,

"Refa'einu Adonai venerafe' hoshu'enu venuvvashe'ah  
(Heal us, O Lord, and we shall be healed; save us, and we will be saved,)

ki yehillatenu 'attah veha'aleh refu'ah shelemah lekhol  
(for the one we praise is You. Bring complete healing for all)

makoteinu ki 'el melekh refei ne'eman verachaman  
(our sicknesses, for O God, for You are our faithful and compassionate Healer and King)

'attah barukh 'attah 'Adonai rofe' cholei 'ammo yisra'el."  
(Blessed are you, Lord, the Healer of the sick of Israel.)

Then he turned from prayer to Adonai to addressing the shêdim now tormenting their host, "In the Name of Yeshua ha Mashiach and by His power, leave this man."

The authority with which Masterson spoke surprised even Desslok. He had never heard his friend speak with such power before, not even when he had faced down that shêd the day the zealots had stormed the palace several months ago*.

Frakken's eyes opened too wide and he let out an unearthly roar.

Elisa clung to her husband with one hand and put the other to her abdomen as her baby kicked her hard, frightened by the horrible sound.

David looked on in amazement as the forces of evil tried to hang onto their victim only to be ripped away by the power of the Name of Mashiach.

Desslok stared at the sight, knowing what he was seeing, but having difficulty processing it – like looking into a mirror that's missing a piece of glass out of the middle.

The spirits that were holding onto the man sprawled on the floor finally let go of his mind and their victim lay there breathing like a runner just finishing a marathon, sweat pouring down his face and soaking the black clothes he wore.

"David, get him some water," Dommel ordered his brother, seeing that the danger had passed.

David nodded and disappeared, quickly returning with the requested water and helping the exhausted former drone sit up. Once he was upright David handed him the water which he drank under his own power.

"Thank you." Frakken nodded to David. "And," he turned his face towards Masterson, "thank _you_... for giving me my life back."

"Do not thank me," Masterson shook his head, "thank Adonai. He is the only One who has the power to restore a man's mind to him. I am only His servant."

"Thank Adonai for me then." Frakken replied, "He and I haven't spoken for a while." he added in a much quieter voice.

"Wolf!" Elisa exclaimed, returning and kneeling beside him, the task made difficult by her pregnancy.

"Hello, Elisa." he smiled.

"When you disappeared after our wedding, Dommel and I thought you had been killed during the Marad." she said.

"No such luck, I'm afraid..." he sighed. "How... how long has it been since your wedding...?"

"Almost five years..." Elisa replied.

Frakken balled his fist and slammed it into the floor startling Elisa. "They've had me locked up in my own head for five years!?" he cursed. Seeing that he had scared Elisa he continued more calmly, "I'm sorry... It's just... a shock..."

"I know..." she accepted his apology, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"So, do I have a niece or a nephew?" he changed the subject to something that wasn't depressing.

Masterson, still kneeling on the other side of Frakken, looked at Elisa in confusion. Seeing the teenager's expression she offered, "He's my half-brother." then, turning back to her long lost sibling, she said, "Nephew."

Frakken nodded, "Congratulations to you both," he half-smiled at his sister and brother-in-law. "And where is that bird..?"

"Oh! Juji!" Elisa exclaimed, realizing she had forgotten all about the animal, "David, please let Juji out; I'm sure he's either terrified or outraged at being left out of the excitement."

David snorted at the thought of the funny bird and went out into the suite's living area.

An animated squawking noise came from the other room accompanied by exclamations of , "Juji! Behave!" and "Juji! Don't eat that!"

Suddenly the black bird came waddling through the room, feathers all poofed out in a show of unhappiness, but as soon as he saw Frakken he began chittering and flapping his wings, his good mood instantly restored.

The entire group – even the prince – shared a laugh as they watched Juji stand first on Wolf's leg, then his arm, then his head, still chittering happily at the return of someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Juji, get down." Frakken said to the creature.

The bird, surprisingly, obeyed him and hopped off of the man's head. Juji looked at Frakken with his head cocked to one side, studying him as though he were comparing the way Frakken looked now with the way he had five years ago.

With a final delighted squawk, Juji finished his greeting and waddled over to Dommel before launching himself up to sit on his master's shoulder.

Once the laughter had died down, Frakken turned his attention Desslok and said much more seriously, "I don't know who you are, but my compliments on your skill. If I hadn't been under the... influence... of _them_, you'd have bested me long before you did. As it is, I don't know how you did what you did."

"I've come to expect the unexpected," the prince replied vaguely, all mirth now gone and mistrust emanating from him. Even after seeing the ordeal this man had just come through, he still had his doubts about him – doubts that only time could erase.

Sensing the tension, Masterson hopped into the conversation, "Was there anyone else with you?" he asked Frakken.

Both the man and the inn-keeper smirked in response.

"You've never heard of 'The Lone Wolf'?" said Dommel in disbelief.

"I work alone." Frakken supplemented, "Always have... always will," he said the last bit sadly. "even when I'm not in my right mind, apparently." he took a deep breath and said, "They sent no one else with me."

"Did they give you anything to keep with you?" Masterson continued.

"No, nothing. Except... that amulet."

"Where is it?" Talan probed.

Frakken looked at Desslok and said, "Somewhere in the muck outside."

"What amulet?" Dommel asked uneasily.

"A silver one, like those that the zealots use to summon their _friends_." Desslok supplied.

The inn-keeper's face paled in memory and he groaned, realizing that they were all in much more trouble than he had originally thought.

"We have to get out of here." Masterson launched into action and would have herded them all out of the room right then but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"I don't think we're going anywhere right now." said Elisa, a strange look on her face.

As Masterson looked back at the woman, he could see traces of pain etched in her features, but the meaning was lost to him, "Why not?"

"Never a dull moment." came the prince's sarcastic addition to the conversation, "Masterson, you are hopeless sometimes."

Talan raised an eyebrow at Desslok then looked back at Elisa in time to see her grimace, then it finally dawned on him: Dommel and Elisa's son wasn't going to wait another month to make his entrance.

* * *

"You _idiot_!" came the thundering roar, "I said 'send Grim back in': NOT 'SEND FRAKKEN'!" The victim of Yehin's wrath was cowering beneath his superior's rampage. "How could you be so _stupid_?!"

"I – I'm sorry, Sir."

"Not as sorry as you will be." the Regent growled at the other zealot. "Your little _mistake_may have costed us one of out best assassins." Yeshin let out a wordless bellow of frustration, "He's dropped completely off the radar! Tell me, how is that possible!?"

"He has either found a way to escape the shêdim, or his transmitter is broken, Sir." the underling offered.

"_Neither _of which is acceptable!" the regent bellowed.

"What should I do, Sir?" came the penitent response.

Yeshin glared at the younger man, "_You_will be doing nothing," the sharp sound of laser fire split the air, "with the other dead men."

The zealot slumped to the floor, his lifeless body tangling unnaturally. Yeshin pushed the corpse aside with his foot. "Fiske!"

Loud footsteps echoed through the darkness as the summoned quickly answered his master's call. "Yes, sir?"

"Find Wolf Frakken's last known location. If he is dead, bring back proof of his demise; if he is alive and... intact... and somehow his transmitter is damaged, leave him alone, but follow him back here."

"And if neither of those things are true?" the man asked.

"Then put him down. Like the dog he was named for." Yeshin thought for a moment, then added, "And kill anyone you find with him." the regent studied the other man for a second or two before saying, "You're the best bounty-hunter I have, Fiske. Do not fail me."

"I think the price of failure a bit high for my liking," replied Fiske, glancing at the dead zealot. "Rest assured, I will do as you have asked, or I will die trying."

* * *

**Chapter 7 Notes:**

* Malha Guardiana - "Queen Guardiana"  
* Rea Atid – a reference to the previous book, _The Guardiana_; a war in which Queen Talonka was captured by the Bolar Federation and killed; treachery on the part of Talonka's mother, Aurelia Guardiana has always been suspected  
* Marad - "rebellion"; reference to the first book _The Guardiana_; an event following the death of Queen Talonka where the Guardiana zealots rose up against Leader Deun I and attempted to take control of Gamilon  
* Nepheshel Gamilon – means "Spirit of Gamilon"  
* Zealots storming of the palace – reference to the previous book _The Guardiana_


	11. Chapter 8: The Officer

**Chapter 8: The Officer**

Garen slept fitfully that night. Every couple of hours phantoms – some from his past, some from his imagined future – would creep up on him and whisper in his ears the terrors of years gone by – of _that day_... Faces of his fallen comrades began to surface in his mind. There were so many... so many dead... Had he survived that awful day only to be the next of them to fall?

"_All hands! Brace for impact!" the captain shouted over the ship-wide com, her auburn ponytail waving like a crazy flame of fire about to escape its hearth. "Maximum power to the forward shields!"_

"_Yes, Captain!" came several replies from around the bridge._

_Then came the fateful answer, "The shields were damaged in the last barrage – we've lost them!"_

"_Impact in ten – nine – eight – seven – six -" the onboard computer began announcing the countdown._

"_Gemar hatimah tovah*..." said the captain to those within earshot._

"_Three – two – one – "_

_The front of the bridge exploded inward, sending debris flying all throughout the cabin, ripping through a number of the crew, killing them instantly. Many others crashed to the floor, escaping the shrapnel only to be crushed by falling pieces of the ship._

"_Everyone, get out!" shouted the captain – still alive and getting to her feet. "Off the ship!"_

_The brave woman looked around the bridge and saw the dead – both young and old – who had breathed their last in service to their homeworld..._

"_Shalom*... my friends..." she whispered to them as the last of the live crewmen almost ran past her, but stopped just on the other side of the threshold._

"_My Queen! We must go!"_

"_Thank you, Krenshaw." the woman nodded to the young man who had stopped for her, "Get Lysis and Frakken. The three of you will survive better together than separately. You are my elite – the best I've ever seen."_

"_Come with us, Majesty! We can get you out of here."_

"_No, Garen. I have... unfinished business with the enemy. When that is settled, I will come home." Queen Talonka's eyes blazed with righteous anger. "Contact Admiral Talan and the rest of the fleet."_

"_Yes... Majesty." Krenshaw turned to obey, but the woman caught his shoulder. He looked back at her._

"_Shalom aleikhem*, Garen."_

"_Aleikhem shalom*, Queen Talonka."_

"_Now get out of here!" she ordered, pointing down the emptying corridor._

Krenshaw awoke, the memory of that last minute onboard _Nepheshel Gamilon _still just as vivid as it had been the day it had happened. As long as he lived, Garen would never forget it – not even a thousand years could wipe away the stain of it.

Rea Atid... the day the world had turned upside down... the horror that had changed Gamilon into a world of fear... the day the Guardiana followers had struck their first winning blow... They hadn't just taken their Queen. With Talonka had died the soul of Leader Deun, and the soul of Gamilon itself it seemed...

The soldier shook his head, banishing the depression that had begun to hover over him with the memory.

He looked at the time. Still three hours before what passed for morning onboard ship.

He sighed heavily and rolled out of bed, surrendering to the fact that he would not be getting back to sleep again tonight. He put on his shoes to ward off the cold of space that not even the heating system could mask. Then he sat down in his chair that he had abandoned the night before after his call from Admiral Talan. Maybe now he could actually get some work done.

He spread out his tools in front of him: pen, pencil, computer, sketchbook, and caffeine – his best friend these days. Then he stared at the calculations he had started the night before. And stared. And stared.

"_I am never going to finish this..."_he mentally bemoaned, shoving the chair back and standing up to pace, arms folded, head bowed.

"_Why can't I forget?"_he chastised himself, _"__Why can't I just forget it all and be _done_with it?!" _He snatched a pillow from the sofa and heaved it across the room. It landed in an anonymous pile of old-fashioned books, sending the top few of them scattering across the cold floor.

Garen sank into the couch and let an angry fist slam into a second helpless pillow.

"_Get a grip, Krenshaw!"_he chided himself,_ "__You can't let ghosts spook you at every turn."_the face of Queen Talonka rose in his mind again, followed by the faces of his brother, his father, his many friends who hadn't come back from that cursed world...

His anger boiled up in him again as he thought about the Bolars – those cowards! And the Malha Guardiana – the worst coward of them all – the one who was responsible for all of this...

Garen roared his wordless frustration into the still-dark room. He hadn't bothered to turn on any lights. His dour mood didn't really mesh well with the warm lamp-light he often worked by.

"_At least Dommel and Wolf got out..." _the thought brightened his mood slightly, _"__But where in the universe are they...?"_then it darkened again. _"__If only the world could be the way it was before all of our lives were shattered..."_

* * *

Dara glared at the buzzing intercom.

It was four in the morning for pity's sake! Was she not even allowed to sleep now?!

"_Whatever this is, it had _better_be good!"_she fumed as she got out of bed to answer the summons. "What, Malak!? Can't a girl get her sleep around here?" she hissed into the despised black box.

"Oh..." the voice that came over the line was _not_that of her boss, "I'm sorry... I didn't think..."

"Garen!" she exclaimed, "Oh, no, please. It's okay. I didn't know it was you."

"I'm sorry to wake you like this..." he fumbled, "I just – I think – I need to tell you about something."

"Okay." she replied, "I don't think I should leave Connie alone. I'll have to get her up and bring her –"

"No, no don't do that. I'll come there."

"Alright." she said, "I'll see you in a few minutes then."

With that the intercom went quiet once again.

Not three minutes later – he must have run at least half of the way to her quarters – he was knocking on her door.

She gave him permission to enter and the door opened for him. He stumbled in looking drained. The dark circles around his eyes, his clammy looking skin, and the glaze that was over his eyes said that he either had not slept well, or he had not slept at all.

"What is so troubling that it causes you to lose sleep?" she asked as he sat down in a chair she had pulled up on the other side of the small table she kept in her quarters.

"Ah..." he sighed, accepting a mug of something hot that Dara handed to him, "Just a few ghosts that sneak up on me now and then..." he said, trying to draw her attention away from his obviously spooked state.

Dara shrugged, taking a sip of her own steaming drink. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I... I..." he looked down as if ashamed, "I asked Constance... something."

Dara scrunched her eyebrows together. "Is that a crime? Because if it is, I'm not aware of it."

"I think it may have been... at least in your eyes."

"Now you have me worried, Garen. Surely whatever you asked her was not so terrible. She would have told me if it was." she tried to peer into Krenshaw's downturned face.

He risked looking up at Dara, "I ask her about – _him_. Her father." He braced himself for her response, expecting to be slapped or yelled at, or perhaps even have a few obscenities thrown at him. Instead, all he got was silence. In some ways it scared him more than the violence he had anticipated.

Dara's face remained unreadable.

"And I assume she told you."

"She did."

Dara looked away, "You went behind my back." her voice was icy. "You used my child to find out something I had already told you was none of your busine –"

"I'm sorry!" he interjected. "Please... try to understand. There's just something about you – I had to know."

Dara took a deep breath and let it out again. She repeated this several times, looking like she was going to cry.

"How could you...?" she finally asked in a harsh whisper. "How could you bring my shame back to me this way...?" tears started to run down her cheeks.

"Dara, it wasn't your fault." Garen reached out towards her, but she pulled away.

"How is it not my fault? I never tried to stop him. I was quite happy to be what I was."

"You didn't know any better..." he said, "How old were you...?"

"Fourteen..." she whispered, covering her face in shame.

"Oh Dara.." Garen got out of his chair and came around to the woman. Kneeling down beside her, he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her face. "No fourteen-year-old – no child at all – should ever have to be in such a position."

"You – you don't hate me...? You don't think I'm despicable?"

"No, Dara. I could never think such a thing."

She took a shaky breath, "You shouldn't have gone behind my back that way."

"I know. And I'm sorry..." he apologized again, "Please, forgive me."

"Alright," she sniffed, swiping at her tears with the hand Garen didn't have. "But don't ever do it again. If you want to know something, just ask me..."

"I promise." he nodded and squeezed her hand before letting it go and standing up. He put a hand on Dara's shoulder. "You have your own ghosts, don't you...?"

Dara nodded, "I guess we do have something in common after all."

Garen sat back down in his chair. "Sometimes the past can be the worst enemy of them all..."

"Yes." Dara nodded, "It can... Especially when you don't _know_your past."

"What?" Garen asked.

"It – It's all a blur... I can't remember anything before I was placed in _his_'care.' I was only seven at the time, but the years before that... I just – I can't remember." she cried. "And what I can't remember haunts me more than those years on _Gatlantis _ever could. At least I _know_what happened there." she let her head sink into her folded arms, blocking out the soft light from the lamps she had turned on in the little alcove, and hiding her face from Garen again.

"Dara, please don't." he pleaded, trying to untangle her arms. "Maybe it will all come back to you someday – when you're ready to face whatever it is you can't remember now." he tried to console her. "There are a lot of things I wish _I_could forget..."

"What could be so horrible that you would want so badly to forget it?" she asked, her words muffled by her arms.

Garen didn't reply. The silence prompted Dara to peek up over the lip of her hiding place behind her forearms. "Are you... Are you _crying_?" she asked in amazement.

"I weep for those whom I have lost... All the ones I left back on Jirel that day..."

Dara gasped. "Oh Garen. I didn't know... I'm _so_so sorry... It must have been terrible."

"More terrible than you could ever understand." he said, "I died that day. I think we all did, whether or not our bodies were killed. Our souls were scarred for life – an eternal reminder of Rea Atid was branded on our spirits."

"I heard about that day." Dara whispered. "It happened a few weeks after Connie and I left _Gatlantis_. We saw some of the survivors once. They looked like they wanted to die..."

"That's because they _did _want to die. We all did."

"So what made you want to live again?"

"We were all separated after we were rescued from Jirel, scattered around the GRN. I guess so that there wouldn't be too many chronically depressed crew on one ship at the same time. We saw each other once in a while – when our ships came in contact with one another. Then came the Marad. A number of us were sent back to Gamilon. We got there just in time to interrupt a group of zealots who had gotten through the palace guard and were about to kill the Leader.

"We stopped the uprising, but not without losing even more of our fellow soldiers. One in particular, Wolf Frakken, was lost. We never knew what happened to him. His body was never found."

"I heard about the Marad." said Dara, "By that time I was already working for the Captain and Malak. The passengers talked about the uprising all the time. Sometimes I think people _like_talking about tragedy."

Garen nodded, "Indeed... If only they knew..." he sighed, then continued. "After that, a man named Raymond Talan – one of my superior officers – tracked down those of us who had survived both Rea Atid and the Marad. He knew what we were going through – the torture it was for us to live every day with those memories. He knew because he had been there too, right along side us, and we respected him for it.

"We became his soldiers – the Etzuvim* they called us. But it gave me a sense of purpose to be with those who understood me and what I had been through.

"The Admiral talked a lot about Adonai. Some of the men believed what he said, but most of us didn't really put much stock in it. I mean, it was fine for them, but it just wasn't for the rest of us. "

"He spoke of _Adonai_?" Dara asked. "I thought only Kohanim* talked about Him."

"How do you know about Kohanim?" Garen asked. "The Cometines don't have them."

Dara thought for a moment, "I – I don't know. Maybe I picked it up from some of the passengers over the years."

Garen nodded, "Well, as the years went by, all of the still-living Etzuvim distinguished themselves in a field of their choice. This resulted in our scattering once again. We were sent out to all corners of the known universe with tasks pertaining to our special skills – all except one of us who was sent into hiding for reasons we were never told."

"Did you ever ask?" she replied.

"I tried once." Garen said, "I even asked the Admiral, but all he did was look at me. Then he said, 'Garen, I would tell you if I could. I know he's your friend, but the best thing you can do for him right now is to keep his whereabouts a secret. The best way for you to do that is to not know anything.' I persisted, asking him why. I'll never forget what he said to me... 'Kiy birb hakmah, rab-kia'eas; vyevsyep diaeat, yevsyep makavb.' [For in much wisdom is much vexation; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. ]"

"So he was sent away because he knew something he wasn't supposed to?"

"So it would seem..."

"But I don't understand... What would your friend know that no one else would?"

"I don't know, Dara... But I think that, in light of some recent events, that I need to find out."

"'Recent events'? What recent events?" Dara asked, suddenly becoming very tense.

"My homeworld is in trouble, Dara." he looked into the woman's eyes thoughtfully and after a moment he said, "Can I trust you with something? Something that might mean my life if it got around to the wrong people?"

Dara looked at him, stunned. "You've only known me for a few days. How can you be so sure that I won't do something terrible with whatever you want to tell me?"

"I just know." he replied.

Dara took a deep breath, "Than tell me, Garen. I promise to guard it with my life."

Garen gave her a wan smile, nodded, and began.

* * *

"So what are you going to do now...?" Dara asked when Krenshaw had finished.

"Go on to Galera as I had planned, I suppose – like Admiral Talan said. He's never failed me before; and I trust him not to fail me now." said Garen, "I have to find this Eliora woman."

Dara looked at him, "That's the second time you've mentioned that name... It seems familiar somehow. Like I've heard it before, or maybe met someone with a similar name. You said she's somewhere on Gamilon?"

"Yes. I'll have to find her when I get there though. Admiral Talan didn't give me anything specific, not yet anyway." Garen thought for a second. "Dara..."

"Yes...?" she asked hesitantly.

"I know I asked you to come and see Galera with me, but I'd like for you to come all the way back home with me too – to Gamilon. Help me help my world. Will you?"

"But, what about my job? My daughter?" Dara asked.

"It'll be a change." Garen admitted.

The young woman looked away, her eyes traveling around her humble home. She saw the sparse furniture, the mostly-clean floor, the second-hand possessions. Then she saw the door leading to her daughter's small corner of the living quarters. She looked down at her clothes – old, but still in good condition. What did she have to offer her child here? What opportunity was there for Constance?

She took a deep breath, "Do you promise me that Connie will be safe?"

"As much as is in my power, I promise." he replied.

"Then..." she pursed her lips, "we'll come with you."

Garen couldn't help himself. He smiled, "Thank you!" he reached out and took her hands in his.

"Do we still get to see Galera?" the innocent voice interrupted the moment.

"Connie!" Dara whipped around in her chair, taking her hands back. "What are you doing up, neshamah sheli*?"

"Oh, I just heard you talking." she yawned and rubber her eyes sleepily.

"Go back to bed." Dara directed.

"So are we still going to Galera?" the little girl persisted.

Before her mother could say anything Garen said, "Yes, we are."

The little girl's face lit up and she scurried over the lieutenant throwing her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Mr. Krenshaw!"

"You don't have to thank me, Connie, but you're welcome."

* * *

**Chapter 8 Notes:**

* Gemar hatimah tovah – a greeting, "A propitious final sealing to you in the Book of Life."  
* Shalom – Literally "peace," also used as a greeting, "Good-bye"  
* Shalom aleikhem – greeting, "Peace to you."  
* Aleikhem shalom – response to Shalom aleikhem, "To you, peace."  
* Etzuvim – literally "sads"; used here to mean "Sad Ones"  
* Kohanim – priests of God  
* Neshamah sheli – term of endearment, literally, "my soul"


	12. Chapter 9: The Usurper

**Chapter 9: The Usurper**

"She is a beautiful creature, is she not, Yeshin." Deun stared up at the work of art that decorated the far wall of the throne room.

"Of course, Sire." said the regent, feeling a bit strange commenting on the appearance of the Iscandarian woman Deun was looking at. It felt disrespectful somehow, even though she wasn't physically standing before him.

To Yeshin's relief, the young Leader-to-be didn't say anything else for a while, giving him time to think. _"__What a fool he is. He doesn't even know how much power he has tried to harness in the Spirit of Guardiana. If only the Malha were here now to put this brat in his place._

"_What will we do without you, Malha? How will we continue on?"_Yeshin studied Deun with disgust. _"__You don't even know what you are, whelp." _he sneered behind the teenager's back, _"__If you did, you would at least _understand_."_

"_At least that disgrace, Talonka Guardiana, was put down before she could do any more damage. Taking another Spirit* in stead of Guardiana indeed!"_he mentally tsked at her choice and an evil grin spread across his face. _"__But at least we have –"_

"Yeshin."

The grin immediately disappeared to be replaced by the regent's usual, servile expression, "Yes, Sire?"

"I want to talk to the Iscandari king – Alexander, I believe is his name." said Deun, still staring up at the piece of art.

"Yes, Sir." said Yeshin.

The regent turned to do Deun's bidding, a well-hidden look of disgust beginning to resurface on his face.

The call went through in a matter of moments.

"Leader... Deun," said the Iscandari King, "may I be of service to you in some way?"

The King's holographic form stood much taller than Deun.

"Sit please, Alexander." the teenager bade the king, without deigning to face him.

The king nodded and did so, his chosen seat appearing in the hologram with him. "So what is it that you wish to talk about?" Alexander asked, ignoring the Leader-to-be's use of his name sans his title.

The grounds more even now, Deun faced the king, "Quite a sight, is it not?" he referred to the work of art.

"It is, indeed, Leader Deun." the king nodded, "We have one identical to it here in the palace."

"Yes, I know." said Deun, smiling strangely, "I find it remarkably coincidental that the woman depicted in it so closely resembles your daughter – Starsha I believe is her name – and that the man so closely resembles me. Don't you think so?"

Alexander's face went completely blank for a moment and Deun chuckled to himself, knowing that he had just thrown the Iscandari off balance.

"Yes, Sire. Perhaps so, but you may have noticed that the woman also bears a stunning resemblance to both my wife, and my daughter Astra – not _just_Starsha."

"True enough." replied Deun. He had expected such an answer from the man. "This piece has always symbolized our two worlds' union in the form of the Alliance we forged one hundred years ago. That Alliance has stood through the Cometine siege, a number of Bolar insurgences, Rea Atid, and the Marad. It would seem that our ties to one another are rather... unbreakable. There have even been a few Gamilons who have dared cross the racial lines and intermarry with the Iscandarians – one Treinel Trefus comes to mind, among others."

"Our ties are indeed forged well, yes." the king agreed. "It would take a catastrophe such as our galaxy has never known before to break that bond.

"Indeed." Deun said dismissively, "But don't you think it wise that we should strengthen the bonds between our worlds even further – in the event of just such a... mishap?"

"Perhaps..." Alexander said carefully. "What do you suggest, Leader?"

"I propose, not only the union of our worlds, but the union of our houses," Deun said.

Alexander's eyes narrowed just the slightest bit.

"In the form of a marriage – between myself and your daughter Starsha." Deun looked very satisfied with himself and he casually gestured back to the mural, "After all, it _would_ seem that such a match is fitting."

The Iscandari stared into the face of Deun, trying to determine his intentions. The young man kept his face carefully blank, which frustrated the king, just as Deun wanted.

"I do not think that such a pairing is appropriate at this time, Leader." said Alexander. "Both of you are much too young to be contemplating such a thing at this juncture."

Deun shrugged as though he didn't care, "Perhaps."

"Do you believe in Yahweh, Sire?" Alexander ventured.

Deun hid a smirk, "I believe that a God such as Adonai – if He truly exists at all – is almost worthless to me, Majesty." the young man let a skeptical look come over his face, "And a God that requires so much of his followers is of no interest to me whatsoever."

The King's gaze rose past Deun, as though he was looking at the picture on the far wall – that was impossible, of course, but the look of confidence that suddenly came over Alexander of Iscandar almost unnerved him, and what was worse was that Deun didn't know _why_ such a little thing had so much power over him.

"Leader Deun." said the King, "Unless there comes a time when you believe otherwise about Yahweh, I am afraid that I can grant no marriage proposals – to _any_ of my daughters."

Deun's composure began to slip, "So just because I don't adhere to your _religion_, you won't grant my request. My father did not share my mother's religious tendencies. It did _them_ no harm."

"None that you saw, Leader. I know of a certainty that it brought your mother much pain to know that your father did not believe as she did." replied the Iscandarian.

"That is but _one_ example, Alexander." Deun said, his anger beginning to rise in his voice, "I must insist that you grant my proposal."

"I am sorry, Leader Deun, but I cannot do that." the king replied with a sure calm, "It would be wrong, and very unfair to you both."

Deun's jaw clenched visibly, "Fairness is for children!" he bit back, "I can give her just as much power as her sister will one day have! Is that not important to you – to _her_?!"

"No, Deun. It isn't."

That simple answer made the young man freeze and look at Alexander in angry skepticism, "You expect me to believe that?"

"It is the truth, Sire." Alexander replied, unphased by Deun's rash display.

"Then you are a fool!" Deun shot an accusing finger out towards the king's translucent face.

"Better a fool in this world, than a fool in the next." Alexander said.

"Is there _nothing_ that will convince you to give me your daughter's hand in marriage?!" Deun said, a bit of his calm temporarily regained.

"Only what I have already said," replied the King, "Only your conversion would grant that possibility to you."

"Then I will come and take her." said Deun coldly.

"I would hate to see such a thing happen between our two worlds, Deun, but if it comes to that, I must tell you that my wife and I would die before we allowed such a thing to happen."

Deun motioned for Yeshin to cut the call off. The holographic King immediately disappeared.

"Perhaps your _condition_ can be met, _Alexander_..." Deun said under his breath, then to Yeshin he said, "Find me the geneticist – Lieutenant Garen Krenshaw; I have a job for him."

* * *

"Bahn, spread the word to Silesia and Adrianna. We must keep Starsha in sight as often as possible." King Alexander said to his Jeshurunian friend, "If I have read Deun correctly, my rejection won't stop him from trying to take what he wants, and that sudden cutoff means that he's thinking about it at this very moment."

"Yes, my king." the plant replied, his leaves whispering in alarm. "He seems a most dangerous young man, the new Leader."

"Indeed." said Alexander. "But just _how_ dangerous remains to be seen... That is why we must keep a watch on my daughter."

"I will tell Silesia and Adrianna what has happened and your instructions."

"And I will tell my wife..." Alexander sighed, "I knew that painting would spark something one day... But I had hoped it would be _good_ and not _ill_ will..."

"What of Starsha, Majesty? Who will tell _her_ what has happened...?" asked Bahn.

The King looked thoughtfully at the Jeshurunian, who had become his good friend through the years of his residence on Iscandar, "I will tell her..." he nodded, "As her father, it's my responsibility to protect her from men like Deun... I only wish I could have prevented this from happening. Perhaps if I hadn't let her and her sister take that call I –"

"My king," Bahn interrupted gently, "there is nothing you could have done. Deun has made his own choice in this. You cannot make up a man's mind for him... Do not blame yourself for what you cannot control."

"Yes..." the king sighed again, "Of course, you're right...But I must find my wife and tel her..."

"Tell me what?" Kara's voice drifted over to the King and Bahn. She had just come through the door as Alexander was speaking. When she saw the look on her husband's face she said, "What is it, Alexander...? Is something wrong?" She went over to him.

"Kara," he reached out and took his wife's hand, "something has happened that you need to know about..."

* * *

Starsha sat stunned. "He... He _said_ that...? Leader Deun said he would take me if you didn't accept his proposal...?"

"Yes..." her father replied, sitting down heavily in the chair across from his middle daughter.

"But – but how can he do that?! He doesn't have the authority." the girl's shock exuded from her entire being, "I never thought that... he would ever take what he said just a few _days_ ago this far...? Why am _I_ so important to him? _Why_?" And with that she began to cry. "I don't understand!"

"Oh Starsha..." sighed Alexander, "Do we really know _why_ men choose to follow their own desires instead of the will of Yahweh...? Why did A'dam choose to sin when time had only just begun? Why did Yehudah* choose to betray Yeshua? I do not know the answer, my child." he said gently, "Men make their own choices. Our free will is a gift from Yahweh... but men have abused that gift, as they have all gifts from Heaven.

"All we can do is what we know is right. Beyond that... it is in the hands of Yahweh – as it always has been."

Through her tears, Starsha could see the look on her father's face, a mix of sorrow and determination.

"If they come for you, you know I'd die before I let them take you."

Starsha nodded and said, "I know, aba." she suddenly threw her arms around the king's neck, "Thank you..."

"Whatever happens, always remember, that I love you." said Alexander, hugging his daughter.

"I love you too, aba."

Putting his hands on Starsha's shoulders, he pushed her away so that he could see her face once again, "Adrianna will be looking out for you now. Take her with you wherever you go. She will be our eyes and ears. Through her and Bahn, your mother and I will know if you're ever in trouble."

The princess stared at her father, "They – they can do that...?"

Alexander smiled, "They can. We have just never had the need to ask them to do it before – though I am sure that they have been doing it all along."

* * *

"What do you mean, 'he can't be found'?!" bellowed Deun. "Are you so stupid that you can't even find _one man_? WHERE IS GAREN KRENSHAW!"

"We – we do not know, Sire." stuttered Yeshin – for the first time truly afraid of the young man. The fury that had begun to simmer in his eyes when King Alexander had rejected him was now an all-consuming fire that blazed openly, not only in Deun's eyes, but in his whole being. The Leader-to-be was a terrifying sight to behold in his rage.

"Then find _out._" Deun's tone dropped to a menacing hiss.

"We cannot, Sire. All records involving him or his whereabouts..." he paused, dreading the news he had to bring, "They've been... sealed, Leader."

"By whom...?" the icy tone nearly made the Regent shiver it was so cold.

"I don't know, Sire... We are unable to trace the one who did it. We've sent our best to track them – even the time-delvers have been dispatched."

Deun glared at Yeshin, "If it is so very _difficult_ for you to find Krenshaw, then get me another man – just find me _someone_ who can do what I want!"

"Yes, Sire. It shall be done."

"Good."

* * *

"Admiral Talan, I thank you for taking my call." Alexander looked back at the face of one of the few men on Gamilon whom he knew without a doubt that he could trust.

"There is no need for such formality, Alexander. Call me Raymond – as you always have." said the man, "What is it that brings you to me, my friend?"

Alexander took a deep breath before jumping into the story of what had happened a few hours before, "Leader Deun asked for my daughter Starsha's hand in marriage... I refused him. Now he's threatening to come and take her by force."

Raymond said nothing for a few moments, gathering his thoughts.

"This is serious..." the Admiral finally said. "Very serious... Deun... is not used to having his whims denied him. Even if it means destroying those in his way..."

For a moment, the two men's gazes met, then Raymond continued, "I understand that you have been visited by another good friend of mine, Israel Kotlar."

"Yes." said the King.

"Then you know how Deun... acquired... his throne."

Alexander nodded.

"He is dangerous, Alexander. If he truly wants your daughter for himself, he will stop at nothing to make her his."

"And if I try to stop him?"

"Then he will kill you."

The king's face fell, "As I had feared." he took a breath and let it out, "But this is no time for fear." he shoved his rising dread down and instead let his love for his daughter replace it. "This is one thing Deun will just have to do without. Will you help me, Raymond? Is there anything you can do there on Gamilon?"

"I will do the best I can." said the Admiral. "And if I hear anything, you'll be the first to know. I have more influence than our new Leader has ever suspected, and if he knew the truth – if he knew about my son and his charge... I pray every day that Adonai keeps the knowledge of Masterson and Desslok's whereabouts out of the hands of Deun."

"Masterson and who?"

A triumphant smile spread across Raymond's face, "Desslok – Deun's brother. His existence has never been revealed to anyone outside the palace – with the exception of a choice few."

"Then there _is_ another heir!" Alexander's words were now fueled with hope.

"Another heir indeed – the _rightful_ heir. Before his death, Leader Deun appointed Desslok – _not_ his elder son – Leader in his stead."

"So this new Deun is not only a murderer, but a usurper as well."

"Yes. And if he ever found out where his brother was, he would kill him without a second thought."

The Iscandari King's heart began to fill with excitement. "Then we must put this brother on the throne immediately – that will unseat all of Deun's plans, including the one to take my daughter."

Raymond's face fell and he looked away, "It is not so simple as that, I am afraid..."

"What? But why?" Alexander's hopes began to crumble.

"Because of the zealots... The followers of Guardiana are also heavily involved here. There are things going on that even _I_ do not know about – things that could mean the end of our world as we know it. Simply unseating Deun will not fix those problems."

"But what could a cult do that would be so earth-shaking?" asked the King.

"That is the question we all asked – until Rea Atid. Then we asked it again, and the Marad came. Many fear what may happen if we dare to ask it a third time..." the soldier finally met the king's gaze again, "Adonai is in control – this I know. But I also know that I cannot ask my people to go up against an ancient evil so powerful as the Guardiana followers when so many of them would go into battle spiritually unarmed.

"The secrets of the Guardiana's origins are still unknown to me, but I have reason to believe that my son may have uncovered them before he and Desslok left the palace a few days ago." Raymond summoned the hope that had been lying dormant in him for these three days now, "My own son now carries with him the promise of Gamilon's future – our new Leader, and the history of the Malha Guardiana herself."

"Then she _isn't_ just a myth."

"Not at all. She is very real, though her title has been passed down from generation to generation. The last Malha was Aurelia Guardiana... the mother of Talonka, our dear Queen..."

Alexander froze. "Queen Talonka was to be the next Malha Guardiana?"

Raymond nodded, "She was. But something interfered with that plan. Adonai saw to it that Talonka had the chance to choose between Him and the shêd that calls itself the 'Spirit of Guardiana.' The Queen chose Adonai."

"I never knew..." Alexander whispered.

"Very few do. I am one of those blessed few. Adonai dealt the shêd-wielders – and Abaddon himself a terrible blow the day Talonka chose Him instead of the shêd. Do not give up hope, my friend. If there is a way to stop Deun, we will find it, by Chesed Elohim.*"

"Thank you, Raymond... You don't know how grateful I am."

"I too am a father, Alexander, and my son has been in peril of his very life more times than I can count. If I could guarantee his safety, I would gladly pay whatever price was required of me... But I cannot, so I entrust him to the keeping of Adonai. After all, the universe is His, and He made it with the word of his mouth. The heart of the king is in the hand of Adonai, and He turns it, wherever He will. Not even Deun can escape Adonai, my friend. Take comfort in that."

* * *

**Chapter 9 Notes:**

* Taking another spirit – Talonka received the Spirit of Adonai when she chose to accept the salvation offered by Yeshua  
* Yehudah – Judas  
* Chesed Elohim – "the grace of God"


End file.
